


The Ghost of Jamie Fraser

by regaljacki



Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Creepy, F/M, Haunting, Horror, Mystery, Secrets, Slow Burn, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26852374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regaljacki/pseuds/regaljacki
Summary: Claire Randall is living with her husband in Inverness. Claire had always been very open minded in all situations of her life, unlike her husband Frank. Their house? Definitely haunted. By what or who? The ghost of the man that wants to save Claire from some dark secrets she doesn’t even know about.
Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Frank Randall, Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser
Comments: 681
Kudos: 374





	1. Haunted

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't sure if this type of fiction is liked by people but as I love creepy stories I for sure wanted to write it. Let me know in the comments what you think of it. Also thank you to my BETA Kris. You are truly wonderful.

Claire Randall looked up from her mirror, as her husband stormed into their bedroom, completely soaked from the storm raging outside. She stopped brushing her curly brown hair the moment the doorknob turned, and he walked into the room. For a moment her husband remained silent and walked to the window which faced a fountain that had been built hundreds of years ago. _Beautiful monument._

”Frank, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost!” 

She turned around to face her husband who looked at her with a completely pale face leaving her worriedly waiting for a reply, her hairbrush still in her hand. 

“I’m not so sure I haven’t.” 

Hesitant, Claire returned to looking at her reflection in the mirror to finish brushing her hair, while her husband remained in the same spot, looking down at the monument she loved so much. She didn’t know how to respond to such a thing and waited for Frank to calm down. What Claire did know was that there was much history here in Scotland and, as he was a historian, Frank also knew with history ghosts frequently followed.

Eventually Claire put down the hairbrush, stood up from the vanity, and walked towards Frank, her hand stroking his cheek to calm him. 

“What happened?” 

Eventually she would give it another try to hear him out, after all he still hadn’t recovered from the shock he had endured. 

“I saw a man, dressed in full-on tartan clothing. He stood _right there_ watching you as you brushed your hair. I wanted to ask if there was something I could do for him, but when I came as close to touching him, he vanished, Claire. He completely vanished.” 

Claire looked after Frank who had now walked to the pantry to pour himself a glass of whisky. She pitied the man for being scared by the sight of what must be an illusion made up by his mind. _He had always been the jealous type after all._

“Frank, you must have imagined it. You have to relax. There are no ghosts. It was probably just your imagination, it has been a long day after all.” 

The gaze Claire got from her husband made the hairs stand up on every inch of her body. She felt shivers covering her back and a reflex that made her turn away in an instant. Claire never liked when he looked at her that way. _Like she had no say in this world._

Claire decided to give Frank some space to go over what as in his mind and went downstairs. Only dressed in a nightgown, she was still covered in goosebumps as if the storm outside had carried the cold through the thick walls of their house. 

She decided to make some tea and put the gas stove on its highest level while filling the tea kettle with a small amount of water. After waiting until the water was boiled and the kettle steeped, she poured herself a warm cup of tea, seating herself on the kitchen table warming her cold hands on the mug. She looked outside the window where the storm still had been going on ever since Frank returned.

While she was lost in her thoughts, the stove she had just used made a conspicuous _tick_ indicating it wanted to be turned on again.

As this had happened before, Claire checked if she had turned it off alright. After her action had been confirmed and the stove indeed was no longer on, she took the cup upstairs to her bedroom, only to find Frank waiting for her. 

His face had now more colour than before, and his short dark brown hair was all messed up while his icy hazel eyes looked at her, longing for Claire’s touch. Frank always had that certain look on his face when he wanted to have sex, and Claire needed to be ready for him.

It didn’t take long and Frank released himself inside of her, he rolled next to her, leaving Claire breathless and unfulfilled. She looked at him and saw him staring at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath. 

“Have you calmed down, Frank?” 

Claire didn’t know if this act of _love_ was to get him off that ghost story or if he just wanted to do it. 

“Yes. A long time already. I have been waiting for you.” 

_How could she know?_

“I’m sorry darling, I was in the mood for some tea.” 

With a tiny grunt he turned to the other side, only to fall into a deep sleep, and Claire was glad to have some time without him once again. 

\- 

Claire woke up, looking at the clock on her night table, which indicated that it was 3AM. She sighed and turned to find a comfortable position so she could give in once again to the magical feeling of sleep. But as she turned to face the wall, she could see a tall black shadow falling next to her closet door. Her eyes were staring to get used to the darkness which might confirm that she had only imagined something. But once her eyes got used to the dim light, they kept seeing the figure. Instead of disappearing, the figure just stood here, forcing Claire to turn on the light. _It was gone._

Claire kept staring at the place where she saw that figure, not daring to turn off the light again. A cold, icy shudder made its way down her back, and with her gaze on the wall she had drifted off into a slumber which wasn’t restful at all.

Before Claire could get some rest, the alarm on Frank’s side of the bed went off and her eyes popped open at the first sound from it. Frank frowned at the sound and turned it off only to snooze off some more. Claire stared at the ceiling and remembered every bit of the frightful night she had endured. She turned her head to the side and looked at the exact space she had seen the shadow only to be covered in goosebumps and shudders once again. 

Claire rose to prepare Frank’s breakfast before he headed to his office. His reputation as the most famous historian in Inverness was everything for Frank, it was even more important than his marriage, always had been. 

While Frank quietly savoured every bite of the eggs and toast she had made, Claire packed his lunch of the leftovers from last night’s dinner, and put them in a bag. Recently most of her lunches were ending up in a bin or he would bring them back unopened, as he chose to eat at a restaurant which offered him his so called _delicious meals._

Once Frank departed the house, Claire was left with a few dishes and a lot of thoughts about last night. _Something watched her. She felt it._

\- 

A day passed, and Claire sat on the couch, reading a book while drinking a glass of whisky. The sound of the door made her look up. 

“Frank, you’re early!” 

_No answer._

“Frank?” 

_Still nothing._

Claire decided to put the book aside when she didn’t receive an answer after calling out for her husband the third time. She stood up only to find the door open and the cold evening breeze filling their home. 

She looked around, frightened that someone had entered the house. Claire locked the door immediately and decided to listen to determine if someone indeed was inside. _As quiet as always._

Claire walked back to the couch, picking up the book she had just laid down. She was unable to focus further on the story she was reading as with every tiny sound that had been made, her body covered itself with goosebumps. 

_Hopefully Frank would come home soon._

Claire had never felt this unsafe in her own home and she didn’t want to be alone. But something told her she wasn’t. These thoughts were confirmed when she heard a rustling sound coming from upstairs. She swallowed briefly and felt her heart drop. 

“Hello?” 

She walked towards the stairs and the volume of the rustling increased, her heart was racing and swallowing became more difficult to do.

“Who is there?” 

_Quiet._

_The rustling stopped._

Claire decided to walk upstairs, Frank’s home office door had been left opened. Claire’s brows furrowed as this was strange; Frank locked this room before he left the house. She walked inside to find a stack of papers on the floor. 

_There is an explanation for all of this._

Frank couldn’t see that this door was open and his finding those papers on the ground would only give him more reason to blame her. Could Frank have thrown those papers on the floor himself? No, he had always been tidy. He hated mess. And leaving this door open? Claire felt watched and something inside of her forced her to enter this room, picking up all the papers that were on the floor next to Frank’s desk. 

She kneeled down to pick up one by one and the last one froze the blood in her body. It wasn’t Franks handwriting. Actually, she had never seen such handwriting before. She stared at the piece of paper she held in her hands, trying to figure out where it came from. _Certainly not from Frank. Or one of his clients._

How did she know? It was addressed to her. 

_“Claire. Do not trust him.”_


	2. Scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A creak on the floor but no one to see, confirm once again someone’s been watching me._

The thin paper Claire held in her hand was creased from the pressure of her fingers, grasping it as if her life depended on it. She kept re-reading the words which had been writing in a beautiful, yet unfamiliar hand.

_Who should I not trust? Frank?_

Confusion filled her mind once again and when she looked around her husband’s, a cold shudder once again ran through her body.

Claire stood up and left the ice cold room, unable to lock it as Frank had the key. She nearly stumbled over her own feet but made her way downstairs. The moment she reached the last step, she managed to hide the paper just in time as Frank opened the front door.

He looked at her, immediately sensing that something wasn’t out of the ordinary. Claire was frightened he would find out she had been in his office.

“Claire, Darling, are you alright?”

He glanced at her while putting his hat into the black wardrobe, along with his jacket. Frank then walked towards her to take her hands in his, waiting for her response.

“Yes, I just woke from a deep sleep. Must have drifted off while reading a book. How was your day?”

Claire could barely focus when Frank started to talk about his day, but she tried to keep up with a conversation as best she could. _Claire, do not trust him._

Frank’s voice was just a tiny echo when Claire looked at him. He was waiting for a response as she had drifted off once again back to the note she’d found.

“I’m sorry, I still must be tired.”

At that moment Frank gave up and headed towards the stairs to his office. A nervous feeling filled Claire’s body, leaving a heavy lump in her stomach once she heard him walking upstairs. The steps stopped and her breath had caught.

“Claire?”

_He knows. He knows. He knows._

“Yes, Frank?”

_He is going to scream. He is going to scream. He is going to scream._

“Make me some dinner, will you?”

A breath of relieve escaped Claire’s body when she heard the key turn in the lock to his office door.  
_It had been locked. But how?_

As Claire asked herself this question, an icy draft crept up from behind, leaving her body covered in goosebumps. She turned around to see if she left a window open or if perhaps Frank had forgotten to close the door once he entered.

_Everything was closed._

She shook her head, walking to the kitchen to prepare dinner for her husband. Usually she decided what she would serve him before he came home, but she had forgotten, due to everything that happened to her that day.

The cold air followed her, making her turn around every now and then to see where it came from.

_Bloody house. It’s freezing._

Claire decided to make a Lasagna, simple but indeed, delicious. Once she put the wonderful meal into the oven, she checked her clock in order to leave it in for thirty minutes.

While doing the dishes, the cold air on her back moved to her side. _Someone’s here._

Claire decided to concentrate fully on the dishes in front of her before she went insane, just like Frank last night with his ghost story. _It had started that night. No, this is not real._

Suddenly, while cleaning a cup, Claire felt a warm breath on her neck and the echo of it filled her ears causing her to drop the cup she held to the floor, where it shattered into pieces. Claire knelt down in shock to pick up the debris spread around the kitchen and looked up as Frank came down to see what caused the noise and disturbed him.

“Claire, Darling, is it so hard to wash a cup? And when is my dinner ready?”

_Too many questions._

“I’m sorry Frank, this was clumsy of me. The lasagna should be done in ten minutes.”

_What just happened?_

Claire kept picking up the pieces, waiting for her husband to head back upstairs in order for her to process what she had just experienced.

_Leave._

Frank didn’t intend to leave, which made her go crazy inside. She needed space.

Once she picked up all that was left of the mug, she put the pieces into the bin, waiting the two minutes that were left until the lasagna was done. Frank still standing there, watching her.

“Do you have nothing better to do than stand here, Frank?”

She was irritated; it was all too much. Touching the place on her neck where she had felt the breath, made it all seem so real and she was happy once the clock indicated that the food was done.

“Finally. Bring it upstairs, will you?”

Frank had the talent of ignoring her when she most wanted a response from him, and he knew it drove her insane.

Before Claire could even answer him, she heard the office door close.

Preparing his plate, Claire was terrified to feel the breath on her neck again. _She never wanted to feel such a thing again._

Claire walked upstairs and knocked twice on Frank’s door, indicating that she had his food, including a glass of wine, ready to serve. Frank opened the door quickly to take in his dinner and closed it without a word, leaving his wife once again alone.

_She didn’t want to be alone._

Claire turned around, at first not knowing where to go, but then decided to get to bed, rather exhausted from everything that happened.

Once she’d gotten changed and ready for bed, she drifted off into a deep sleep filled with dreams, with her light still on.

_”Claire, do not trust him. Wake up, Claire, let us go. Ye canna trust the man._

_She opened her eyes, not being able to move a muscle, feeling like she had been tied to her bed. Frank was next to her, sound asleep, and their bedroom was dark. Her light was out. Claire’s breathing hitched when she saw the shadow once again at the exact same spot. She tried to make a sound, she wanted to cry, but nothing escaped her body. The shadow moved, and Claire teared up from fright._

_”Claire. Ye have tae leave. Leave lass, leave.”_

_The voice was a breath, just like the one she felt earlier that day. Claire was terrified and all she wanted to do was scream and run away, never returning to this house again._

_The whisper of the voice came closer, shifting from one ear to the other, telling her to leave._

All of a sudden she was fully ripped from her sleep, her scream echoing through the whole house, causing Frank to shoot from his side of the bed. Claire’s breath was heavy, and her face soaked with tears, while her body was soaked with sweat. A sob escaped her body and she looked around in complete and utter terror.

“Claire, are you alright?”

Frank’s voice was filled with exhaustion as he had been fast asleep, but Claire didn’t know what was real and what was not anymore.

“Yes.”

She swallowed heavily and turned on her light. Claire left the bed and walked quickly to the bathroom. _What is happening to her?_ When she looked at her reflection she saw the curls that touched her face were soaking wet and her eyes were red and puffy from crying in her sleep.

Claire replayed the dream she had all over again and she could swear it was happening right in front of her eyes. She wasn’t able to move and the whisper she heard in that Scottish accent still left her covered in goosebumps, even though her body heat confirmed that she had been anything but cold.

She stayed in the bathroom to freshen herself up and went back to their bedroom where she changed her clothes. As Frank was fast asleep again, she had no other choice than to lay back down on the damp sheets.

Claire was wide awake and stared at the bedroom wall. She didn’t want to sleep anymore; she had never felt as helpless as she did in her _dream._

-

The light in the window indicated that Claire had indeed been lying awake for the rest of the night and she waited for Frank’s alarm to ring. She stood up, wrapped her bathrobe around her body and walked downstairs to once again prepare her husband’s first meal of the day. She was exhausted and all she wished for was a good sleep, without being haunted by something she never believed to be true.

After preparing herself a cup of coffee she waited for Frank to join her for breakfast. The footsteps on the stairs made her jump off the chair a bit. _She is starting to feel paranoid._

Frank gave Claire a short good morning kiss and didn’t mention last night’s happenings. _He probably forgot already._

Claire tried to choke down as much food as possible but managed mostly only the hot beverage she had made herself. Once she cleaned up the kitchen mess and Frank left for work, she decided to get out of the house. _She needs to breath._ She didn’t remember another time she was this excited about a rainy walk as she was today. Her own house scared her. She didn’t want to be alone there, nor did she want to sleep another night in that place. _But she had no other choice._

As Claire walked through the streets of Inverness to distract herself from thoughts of the past two nights with exhaustion, she stopped in front of a window belonging to an antique store. The window contained beautiful vases, and Claire tried to remember when she had owned one. _Never. Frank mostly did all the interior decor. She had no say in it._ Claire kept looking through the window, but instead of the vase in front of her, she suddenly saw the glass getting foggy. _She must have been too close and her breath had condensed on it._ Taking her sleeve to wipe it away, she realized it wasn’t hers. It came from the inside where no one stood.

_Breath in. Breath out._

_Foggy. Not Foggy._

_That someone must have been following her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your amazing feedback on Chapter one! I hope number two is as exciting as one. Also a huge thank you to my Beta Kris. You are amazing.


	3. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Although my body is covered in warmth, my blood froze when I felt invisible arms.”

Claire stared at the spot on the glass, unable to move a single muscle. _I really am getting paranoid._

After a few minutes, Claire was once again able to move and left immediately, only to look behind her every now and then as if she could see that someone or something was following her.

Unable to see anything, she turned around and walked back home faster than usual. Claire didn’t know what would await her there, as she had escaped her own house in order to flee from the presence that haunted her.

Once she locked the door behind her, it was very quiet. No sound of creaking wood or footsteps, nor could she hear the outside traffic. Only now did she realize that her breath was the only sound filling the room while the silence made her uneasy in a way she couldn’t explain.

Claire took off her coat and shoes then put the teakettle on the stove to make herself a cup of tea.

_Something is behind me._

Claire’s gaze went upwards, forcing herself to stare at the wall directly in front of her. She didn’t dare turn around while fear overtook her and her mind played scenarios which she knew were impossible.

_Someone is behind me._

She didn’t know if she wanted the water to boil faster or slower, but she knew she had to turn around and face whatever was causing the fear which was paralyzing her.

A sudden wave of ice-cold air wrapped itself around her body from behind. The warm blood in her arms froze by inches as the air moved its way down her arms and stopped around her waist.

_Something is holding me._

“Let me go.”

Her voice was a whimper, not more than a breath of fear and shakiness.

“Please. What do you want from me?”

The icy air disappeared at once. _It listened to her._

A shiver ran down her spine and she was able to move again. Her cup of tea was filled quickly and Claire chose to seat herself on the couch, where she could watch the whole house without fear that someone or something could creep up from behind.

The mug in her hand wasn’t steady at all, which confirmed how much she was still shaking. She tried to calm herself down without success and sipped on the cup trying to enjoy the hot beverage as best she could.

It began to get dark outside already, as summer had departed and fall arrived.

Claire didn’t dare to bring her empty mug to the kitchen, as she still wanted to view her whole surroundings. She wasn’t ready yet for her back to be exposed to a room. And then she heard a door creak.

First, she immediately glanced at the front door but quickly realized that door didn’t make that sound. Only one in their house did so. _The basement door._

Claire closed her eyes once she realized what was happening and she couldn’t stop some tears from welling up.

_Stay sane. Stay sane. Stay sane._

Her eyes opened once the creaking sound stopped.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._

Claire wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. Once curiosity got the best of her and she decided to walk around the corner to the basement door. She peaked around the corner around the door completely open. She saw as far as the darkness of the basement through the doorway and she reached for the light switch as fast as she could.

_It didn’t work._

“Bloody hell Frank, I told you to fix this lamp weeks ago!”

This short wave of anger didn’t last long. Claire now had to decide if she would walk into the darkness or choose to wait for her husband to return in a few hours.

Something that lingered in that dark room hypnotized Claire and before she could turn away, she heard a whisper, deep down the stairs. The whisper felt like it was flying around her ears, burying itself into her head.

“Come here.”

Claire’s eyes started to adjust to the darkness she stared into and she couldn’t see anything other than boxes and old furniture that had been stored in that room for a while now.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

As much as she wanted answers she hoped that none would follow, as the whisper froze the blood in her body at the instant it reached her ears. _No answer._

Claire didn’t know what to do as the overpowering fear she felt didn’t allow her to move, let alone take a step down the creaking stairs. But she knew that this someone wouldn’t just let her walk away.

“I’m not coming down there. Please leave this house. Leave me alone.”

The moment Claire turned away she heard a low soft laugh from the depths of the basement and the hairs on her neck stood straight up. She didn’t know what was funny about her not wanting to go down there nor did she know why that someone would laugh as an answer to being told to leave the house, but it was some sort of proof she wasn’t alone.

“Come here, Claire.”

_No. No. No. No. No._

The whisper once again made Claire shudder. She was scared to the core and decided she couldn’t be any more afraid than she already was, why not walk down those stairs and get it over with?

Claire turned around and faced those stairs once again. Her eyes were still used to the darkness which made it easier for her to walk down step by step, making the wood beneath her feet creak. Fear burned in her eyes and the beads of sweat lingered on her forehead once she reached the last stair.

She looked around. _Nothing._

“And now?”

Claire felt instant regret asking a question while standing in the darkness of the basement with something, or someone.

In that moment, Claire heard the drawer of the old dresser which stood in the corner to her right open. She walked there slowly, not knowing what would might be waiting in that drawer.

Claire looked into it and found an envelope which seemed to contain something inside of it, thicker than just a piece of paper. She took it in her shaking hands, turning it in order to peak inside. _Did she even want to know?_

As if she was replying to herself, she nodded and looked inside of it, only to find a pile of notes. She reached inside her eyebrows furrowed. _They were notes to her._

Claire went through every single one, only to see her name written on each piece of paper. Some were rather disgusting, but there had been no name on the envelope, which made Claire question even more things. _Who wrote those? And what were they doing in a drawer of an old piece of furniture down in the basement?_

Her head was spinning with questions and she decided to ask her husband about those notes once he returned from work.

“Dinna tell him.”

Claire looked up from the notes. _How does this voice know what she was thinking?_

She looked down to her hand which still held the pile of papers and put it back in the drawer where they were found. A second ago she wanted to tell Frank everything about the happenings and now she didn’t want him to know at all. As if something had _warned_ her not to tell her husband. _He probably wouldn’t believe it, anyway._

Claire walked quickly up the stairs; finally giving into the urge to leave this basement which had been inside of her from the moment she took the first step down those stairs. _Now she needed something stronger than a cup of tea._

Claire filled her glass with good whisky and emptied it with one swallow, making herself pour another two. Drinking her third glass, she decided to sip it slowly and enjoy the beverage rather than belting it down.

She sat herself on the couch, her mind still racing about those tiny notes. She reflected the ones that haunted her memory the moment she saw them.

_Claire, I want you._

_Beautiful, beautiful Claire._

And there was one which contained no words but instead had a drawing of herself. The creator of it certainly wasn’t a talented artist but she could recognize the curls drawn on that piece of paper and she knew it had to be her. But the face on the drawing was shedding tears and the letters beneath said _Soon you’ll not cry anymore._

Claire was lost in her thoughts for hours, until she heard the front door open and her husband hurry in from escaping the rainy weather outside.

“Evening, Darling. What horrible weather.”

Claire turned the glass that contained freshly poured whisky in her hands.

“It’s Scotland, Frank. It’s mostly raining. You should have thought about that before moving here.”

She heard Frank scoff while removing his wet hat and jacket and saw him walking around the corner to kiss her quickly.

“You’re drinking, Claire? And by the smell of you I can tell this isn’t your first glass.”

I tiny giggle escaped her body and she looked up into her husband’s icy gaze.

“I was in the mood.”

The next moment, the glass disappeared into the hands of her husband and she looked at him with a disapproving face, knowing she better not say anything as she had had enough negativity that day.

Claire stood up, in order to warm up Frank’s dinner, the leftover Lasagna from yesterday. In the meantime, Frank had disappeared into his office like every other evening which left Claire alone once again.

When she warmed up supper and transferred it to a plate she went upstairs and knocked, only to serve him once again.

Claire started to realize that she had been doing this for a few years but when had she ever received a genuine thank you? _Never._

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

Claire turned around, hearing the water dripping into the sink in the bathroom. With furrowed eyebrows she walked into the room only to see that the water had not been left running at all. Confused she went to check the tap, just to be sure. _She must have imagined it._

She looked up into the mirror to see her reflection. Her curls looked damp, the brown of her hair didn’t shine as usual, neither did her whisky eyes she was looking into. Her gaze was rather cold, and her skin was pale from the shivers she had gone through. Her lips were pressed together from constant fear that something would creep up behind her and her cheeks were burning from the drinks she had poured herself to get over the shock. Her reflection really showed nothing else but fear.

Her eyes started to burn, and her reflection started to get blurry. All of a sudden it wasn’t a pair of whisky eyes she stared into through her reflection; it was a gaze as blue as ocean and as the icy air filled her body once more, all she wanted was to drown in the blue which hit her like waves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm speechless from the responses to this fic. Horror/Thriller has always been my favorite genre and to turn it into a fic and have it so supported means the world.
> 
> Also a huge thank you to my Beta Kris. You are amazing!


	4. Who is there?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Knock Knock who is there? It’s me, can’t you see, Claire?”

That night Claire had rather odd dreams about the blue eyes she saw through her reflection in the mirror. Ever since, they had been burned into her mind, waiting to be processed by her thoughts, but it didn’t happen.

She woke almost every single hour, having the feeling of being watched by those exact blue eyes. Also, she had still been haunted by her nightmare about the shadow, which did not allow her to move.

A few days later, Claire began to grow restless, yet exhausted, and her body wasn’t able to keep up with her daily tasks nor with the physical needs her husband demanded. Frank had always been a man that demanded and wanted at the moment he asked for those things and Claire had been fulfilling his demands ever since their relationship started.

The two of them met at a time when Claire had been curious about her past life. She wanted to find out more about her ancestors or family, as she no longer had any. Something was always missing in Claire’s life and she often felt lonely, however her husband didn’t make this feeling disappear.

Frank helped Claire as much as he could, but didn’t really find out many fact as their meetings started to get more personal rather than professional. He soon asked Claire out and with that one date began a relationship, with marriage soon after. She had never asked herself if she really loved Frank; he was there – as much as he could be – and provided for their comfort and basic needs _What could she possibly want more?_

Claire once spoke to Frank about wanting to become a doctor, but all he did was laugh at her, telling her that she needed to stay home to care for him. After all, that was what marriage was about, right? So, with this conversation went her dream and she tried to smother that dream of hers as much as she could.

Claire was torn from her thoughts the moment Frank’s alarm went off. _Wasn’t it Sunday?! She must be confused._ She turned around to see Frank looking at her, his hair mussed up on his head, which darkened some spots to almost black. One eye was still closed, while the other one nearly wide open.

“Isn’t it Sunday, Frank? Why do you have that bloody alarm clock set?”

Frank grunted at the fact she expect him to deal with conversation in the early morning and turned around.

“I have a client, Claire. I promised to meet him in town this morning.”

“On a Sunday?!”

“Yes, after all it is still my business when I schedule my appointments. Will you now make my breakfast, please?”

Without further words, Claire stood up, wrapped her body with the satin fabric of her dressing gown, and walked downstairs to prepare breakfast. She put the teakettle on for herself while she brewed some coffee for her husband. _By the look of his face, he needs it._

Claire was right about the coffee, but they still sat there in silence, eating the eggs and toast that she had made. A sudden grunt by Frank made Claire look up.

“Can’t you cook eggs anymore, Claire. I want to eat the inside, not the shell, the toast is already crunchy enough.”

Lost in her thoughts, she only stared at him. _She picked the shell pieces out, she could swear it._

“I’m so sorry Darling, would you like me to make another one?”

He shook his head and threw the dark-brown toast back into his plate.

“No, there is no time left. Will you clean this for me?”

This wasn’t an actual question, as Frank rose already from his chair to put on his coat, hat and shoes, already waiting at the wardrobe. And with a short notice, shortly afterward he left, leaving Claire once again alone in a house she still feared.

While cleaning the dishes, Claire’s eyelids started to get heavy and her eyes burned from fatigue. _All she wanted was to sleep._

Claire decided to brew herself some coffee as she only wanted to stay as awake as possible, she could worry about sleep later. She sat herself on the couch, and decided to keep reading the book she had left off last week.

_Knock. Knock._

Claire ignored it.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

She kept reading.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._

“Can’t you just leave me alone?! Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!”

_Silence._

Claire nodded with pride in herself when she didn’t hear anything and gave her full attention to the chapter she had just started, before being interrupted by the knock. She didn’t make it halfway down the page, when she heard a clattering noise coming from upstairs. After looking briefly at the stairs, Claire’s heart was racing but she chose to once again read her book.

It was then that a loud thud came from the room above her. _Their bedroom._ Claire rose, put the book aside, and ran upstairs to see what had happened since the volume indicated that something must have broken.

When she arrived in their bedroom everything seemed fine, except her hairbrush was laying on the floor. Most certainly a hairbrush didn’t make that amount of noise by falling to the ground. Claire looked around, but not finding anything suspicious she put the hairbrush back on her vanity and sat on the bed.

“So, you want to talk again? Here I am. You have my full attention!”

_Silence._

The sudden silence made Claire angry and she raised her voice.

“Come out! I want to talk! I’ve had enough of your bloody games! Either you talk, or you leave!”

_Silence._

_Creak._

Claire felt her body slant to her right. She looked next to her and saw the bulge in the mattress and the sheets folding themselves. _Someone sat there. Right next to her._

Her breath caught in her lungs and she swallowed loudly. The air turned ice cold on the right side of her arm.

_Knock. Knock._

Claire’s eyes burned and once again a shiver ran down her spine. Her voice was just a tiny whisper and her breath was anything but regular.

“Who is there?”

She didn’t know if her body was really paralyzed or if fear kept her from moving a single muscle. Claire didn’t know if she waited for an answer or another sound, but she knew that she wanted answers. She wanted to know why she was being punished in this way and why this _something_ was haunting her and no one else? Was it the house? Was it Frank’s work? Was it her? She wanted to know.

Claire shed a few tears and her body trembled when she felt the cold overcome her again. She turned to her side.

_Nothing._

Claire collected all her courage and looked around in the room as silence filled it. As her gaze passed over the mirror of her vanity, her heart sank and her blood froze right in an instant. She had seen who was there. She saw the blue eyes and with it a face that disappeared after a second. But it gave her just long enough to remember some of the details.

_Male. Red hair. Blue eyes._

Her head turned to face the space where she had seen the face, but it was empty and before she could ask another question, the front door opened and the voice of her husband filled the house. Claire walked downstairs only to be looked at in surprise.

“Were you crying, Darling?”

_She must look terrible._

“No, I’m alright.”

Frank walked towards Claire who still felt terrified. She couldn’t forget the face she had seen and the more she thought about it, the more details filled her mind. _What does he want?_

Claire felt Frank’s arms around her waist and her face soon was pressed into his chest. If Frank would have come later, would the spirit have stayed longer? Maybe she could have found out more.

With all these thoughts crossing her mind, Claire didn’t realize that Frank was only gone for an hour, quite unusual for a meeting with a client.

“You weren’t gone long, Frank.”

Frank took a few steps back to face her. He turned from loving husband to businessman in one second.

“My client had to leave. Emergency. We have scheduled another appointment next week.”

And with that, Frank walked upstairs to his office once again. If Claire wasn’t his wife she would think he was married to that room.

Claire chose to read some more because now with Frank home she felt less scared, even thought something inside of her told her to be more alert. _What could it be?_

_Almost finishing another chapter, Claire looked up when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Frank stood there, staring at her, not moving._

_“Frank, are you alright?”_

_She put the book away, worried if not actually a tiny bit frightened by those brown, dark eyes drilling their way into Claire’s soul._

_“Frank, stop, you’re scaring me.”_

_He took the last few steps down the stairs, his gaze not leaving her, which made Claire walk backward a few steps._

_“Claire. Run.”_

_She looked at him in confusion._

_“Run. Claire. Run”_

_He started to laugh._

_“Run. I’m coming for you, sweet, sweet Claire.”_

Claire shot up, causing her book fall to the ground. _She fell asleep_ Claire looked around to find herself in the living room, hearing Frank’s voice steady in his office, probably talking to one of his clients. The dream felt real and her gaze automatically fell on the stairs where she had just seen Frank. On the exact same spot, she saw something covering the stairs. After lifting the book up, she walked slowly to the spot where she now found another piece of paper. Once she unfolded it in her hands, she couldn’t help but gasp. In capital letters there were written the three tiny words she had just heard a voice yell at her with laughter.

_”Run, Claire. Run."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this fic! It truly means a lot to me. I have the plot already for most of it planned out and I hope you all will like where it is going! *ME BEING NERVOUS*  
> Thank you to my BETA Kris for being so wonderful!


	5. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dreams can feel real. Sometimes realer than reality. Sometimes dreams want to tell something. But what?”

After Claire read the note that was placed on the stairs, she was unable to separate dreams from reality. The panic that crept up on her expressed itself through a flood of tears that now poured from Claire’s eyes down her cheeks. She kept re-reading the note that had been clutched in her shaky hands from the moment she picked it up. _Run. Claire. Run._

Frank still was in his office, so there wasn’t much to do or say for Claire didn’t want to make her husband suspicious about what has been happening when he was at work. Claire also had no intention of hearing for the thousandth time how crazy she was or, as Frank expressed it, _not like an ordinary woman._

When Claire heard the office door upstairs close she shot up, hid the note in an instant, and made her way towards the kitchen, pretending to boil some water for a cup of tea. What does the spirit in this house want to tell her? Was he someone Frank knew in the past? Claire had so many questions she wanted to have answered and she knew she would never get all of them.

The moment she felt Frank’s presence behind her, her body stiffened. Full of tension, Claire put the boiling water into a mug, waiting for Frank to tell her what to do.

“Will you please make me something to eat, Claire?”

Once Frank asked her for something, Claire was never sure if he’d meant it as a question or a demand, but she did know his words were mostly nothing more than demands towards her.

As Claire prepared some food for Frank and her eyes followed him returning to his office, she sighed, thinking again about the note that asked her to run. The moment she thought about the handwriting that never fully left her thoughts, the icy air behind her returned. The hand holding the pan which was heating up was actually quite cold as well. She knew the spirit only communicated with her when she was alone in the house; with Frank waiting for his food she would get nothing more than a tiny warning that she wasn’t alone.

Once the food had been brought upstairs and Claire busied herself with the dishes, she then decided to head to bed. She wasn’t hungry herself due to being so exhausted over the past few days, but little did she know sleep wasn’t as comforting as it sounded.

-

_Breath in. Breath out._

“Frank. Please move.” Claire mumbled with her eyes closed, still half asleep.

_Breath in. Breath out._

“Frank. Will you bloody well stop breathing in my ear?!”

This time Claire turned to her right to address Frank directly, as darkness had set outside. But once she turned around, she realized one thing. _She was all alone._

Claire was ripped out from her half-awake state and shot up in an instant. Her heart was racing, and she looked around the dark bedroom for the light switch. But before her hand could reach for the switch, she saw it there once again. _The shadow._

“What do you want?”

It took all Claire’s strength to keep her voice as steady as possible, calm enough for Frank not hear. Her gaze lingered on the dark spot on the wall that kept watching her, not intending to move a single bit.

“Tell me what you want.”

The next second the dark spot left, and the icy air filled the entire room, covering Claire’s body with goosebumps.

The room felt as if the windows were completely open on the coldest night of December and, with a howling sound, the cold covered Claire and it was as if a voice thoroughly filled her head asking her to do one thing.

“Leave.”

And this was the moment she couldn’t hold back any longer. A scream escaped from the depths of her chest, making Frank enter the bedroom hastily, turning on the light to see his wife crying out on the bed.

“What on earth, Claire?”

It was that moment, she longed for someone _living and breathing_ next to her, which made her stretch out her arms to her husband. Frank took a few steps and seat on the bed next to Claire, taking her in his arms.

“Hold me, Frank. Just, hold me.”

_A heartbeat. A voice. No whisper. A person._

Claire didn’t know how long she had been silently laying in her husband’s arms, but she felt how impatient he suddenly became. 

She lost track of time as her attention turned immediately to the dark figure on the wall in front of her.

“Come to bed, Frank.”

“Claire, it’s only eight in the evening. I’d rather finish up some items for tomorrow. You know Mondays are always the busiest for me.”

Claire looked at Frank and knew begging him to stay wouldn’t make him do so. She decided to let him go and to read further in her book, most certainly with the lights on. And once Frank left, she sat in a warm and calm bedroom, as if nothing happened.

-

Frank sat himself back at his desk, taking his pen into his right hand to write some notes in the little book in which he collected details of clients’ cases. In front of him was his typewriter, ready for typing the notes just written.

He was lost in thoughts about his wife. _She had indeed developed changes in her behaviour._

The moment Frank prepared his typewriter to begin recording the notes, the lightbulb in his desk lamp flickered. He looked up, brows furrowed, and started to type once the light was shining steadily again. Just three words were complete when the light flickered again.

“Bloody lamp. Claire?!”

_No answer._

“What do I have a wife for?!”

Frank walked to the bedroom only to see Claire lost in her book.

“I called you.”

He couldn’t refrain from showing his irritation at having to get up and walk all the way to their bedroom.

“I’m sorry Frank, I was lost in the book and almost asleep.”

He didn’t care for her dithering excuses.

“I need a new light bulb. The one in my office is driving me mad. Will you fetch me one in the basement?”

He looked at her expression changing once he mentioned the basement, but before she could say no, he was already returning to the office where the lamp was shining bright again.

“What?!”

Frank’s gaze lingered on the lamp in front of him, waiting for the flickering to start again, and he didn’t have to wait long until the light turned off completely.

-

_The basement_

Claire thought about the last events in that basement. The laugh she heard down there, the drawer, the notes. A shiver once again made its way down her spine and she didn’t expect to see that Frank had fixed the light down there. _She was right._

“Frank!”

_Nothing._

“Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.”

Claire decided to walk as fast as possible, get a bulb and run back upstairs. _Get your shit together, Beauchamp._

She did as planned, ran downstairs and back up again. She made it.

Claire was proud of herself and walked to Frank’s office, waiting outside for him to get the bulb.

“Good, finally. Took you long enough.”

Claire watched Frank removing the old bulb and replacing it with the new one, satisfied when it turned on. Once he sat back in his chair the light flickered again. She kept watching Frank as his expression now indicated that he had enough.

He shot up, walked past Claire and went downstairs. She could hear him opening the whisky bottle she had started and pouring himself a glass. Without further words, Claire returned to their bedroom once again to pick up with her book.

It wasn’t long until Frank joined her, and she fell asleep shortly after, only to hear Frank’s disapproving grunt before drifting off.

“Of course, always too tired these women.”

-

_Claire, wake up. Please wake up, lass._

_Her eyes opened to meet the blue gaze which reflected in the mirror a few days ago, and she now saw in front of her the clear picture of the man who haunted her. He was dressed in Highlander clothing, his red curls falling onto his shoulders while his gaze lingered on her face. His eyes were the most beautiful blue she had ever seen and once again she felt as if she could drown only by looking into them._

_”What do you want from me?_

_The man stepped closer, leaving Claire ice cold, but she didn’t step back as he came closer. Claire couldn’t stop staring at the man in front of her while the sound of wind got louder and louder around them and a storm started to rage._

_”Ye must leave, Claire, it isna safe where ye are.”_

_Something told her to not take her eyes from his and to look closer. She looked as close as she could and her gaze drilled itself into the soul of the man in front of her._

_”Who are you, and where am I?”_

_”Ye are dreaming and who I am isna important, but you canna stay there longer. Ye must find out who ye really are, Claire. Follow yer heart._

Claire jerked suddenly from her sleep, taking in the dark surroundings including her sleeping husband beside her. _This dream felt so real._

She knew the man she dreamed of was still there somewhere, and it was him that had been haunting her all along. He wanted to warn her, but about what? How could she leave her life behind because a _ghost_ told her to do so? She knew she couldn’t, and she wouldn’t. As long as this bloody Scot didn’t give her reason enough to leave she wouldn’t, and besides, where would she go?

Claire shook her head as there was something else that she couldn’t divide from dream or reality. She couldn’t tell what it was, but the feeling didn’t leave her. 

She decided to put her dressing gown on and pour herself a cup of tea with honey to calm her nerves. Once she sat comfortably on the couch, sipping the mug of the hot and sweet beverage she just made, Claire replayed her dream all over again in her head. She could hear this man’s voice, could see his blue gaze in front of her. His beautiful features burned themselves into Claire’s mind, giving her more details about the man every time she thought about him. It wasn’t the words he said to her that made her shudder, there was something else.

It was then Claire’s mug almost fell out of her hands as shock flowed through her body. In an instant she slammed the mug on the table in front of her, her jaw wide open when a tiny voice in her head spelled out what caused her reaction.

_Somewhere she had met that man before._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT!!! it starts to get more and more to the plot and I am getting seriously nervous. I have pre-written quite a few chapters.  
> Thank you once again to my BETA Kris!! You are amazing!!


	6. Creep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Nothing is what it seems._

A few days passed and Frank was sitting in his office at work, thinking about his wife currently home alone. _What is she doing right now?_

Her behaviour had changed ways he couldn’t explain, and she didn’t seem to be revealing the cause to him anytime soon. 

Frank took a key from a dusty drawer of his desk and opened a tiny closet in the corner of the room. Once he kneeled down to open it, Frank took a deep breath. He knew what awaited him and couldn’t explain the wave of anxiety that went through his body. 

The door of the closet creaked and Frank’s gaze lingered on the piece of paper laying in the centre of the second cupboard in front of him. His hand reached out to touch the thin, almost see-through paper that crinkled when he touched it. When he read the printed letters in his head, his memories rushed through his mind and he grinned. A grin turned into a low grunting laugh and suddenly he laughed out loud and didn’t stop, feeling on top of the world. 

Once Frank had calmed down and locked the closet again, he sat back in his chair, his cheeks still hurting from the victory flowing through his body. He made it. He had everything he always wanted. His wife, Claire. 

Frank knew Claire had her own version of how they met, but he knew the truth. He knew there was more to the story than just him helping her to find her roots. 

\- 

Claire put the teakettle on the stove, waiting for the whistle to indicate her water had finished boiling. Once she poured it into a mug, she sat herself on the couch. The man she dreamed about never left her head and she kept trying to remember where she had seen him before. The face had haunted her for days, but she couldn’t figure out where in her life he had appeared. 

Once Claire opened her book she sipped on her mug to savour a swallow of the mint tea that now warmed her belly. 

_Step. Step. Step._

Claire looked up at the archway that led to the stairs when she heard steps coming from that direction. Once she heard the office door from upstairs open, a shudder went through her body. 

She knew she could never get used to the hauntings in her house and the shudders would keep rushing through her body, whether it only was a tiny sound that caused it or actual words that made their way into her head as if they want to linger there until she listened to them. 

Claire stood up and made her way upstairs where she saw Franks office door, open and inviting as she had never seen it. With hesitating steps, she went closer, afraid of what waited for her in the room she never dared to enter. 

Rustling papers made her body freeze and stop in an instant. Her body didn’t want to take another step, for fear of something jumping at her the moment her eyes fell into the darkness of the room. Her breath wasn’t as regular as it had been a few minutes ago when she still sat on the couch ready to get lost in her book once more. Claire’s breath was loud and filled the room. It came as tiny gasps that escaped her body and she tried to regain control of it, failing miserably. 

Once her mind was ready to see what lies ahead of her, she took the steps into the room, turning on the light which showed her a perfectly normal room. _Nothing was unusual._

As Claire was never allowed to walk into this room, she looked around trying to find something that could catch her attention, knowing the spirit wanted her to be there right at this moment. 

The next moment, after Claire thought she caught her breath, the lights went out and a low grunt echoed in the corner of the room. When she looked to the place the grunt had come from, two shining eyes stared back at her. It wasn’t the blue gaze she dreamed about; they were two bright round balls staring at her like two full moons. She wanted to look away, turn around and never come back, but her feet were cemented to the carpet beneath her feet. 

Claire wanted to scream when the glowing eyes kept staring at her. Sobs escaped her chest and a scream wanted to echo through the four walls she found herself in, but she could not let it out. Her gaze lingered on the face in front of her and it was now that she realized it had come closer. 

Claire finally was able to move and took a few steps backwards only for the two bright spots to move faster towards her. She knew who it was, but the sight of those gleaming eyes on her frightened her more than she could have ever imagined. 

As if it wasn’t enough, a breath landed on her neck, making its way around her face to the openings of her ears, whispering the following. 

“Listen to me, Claire. Frank isna who you think he is. You have tae leave.” 

She was tired of hearing what she had to do and what she did not. No matter if dead or alive, she didn’t understand why men would always tell her what to do. 

“You can’t tell me who you are or why you want me to leave. Why would I listen to you?” 

Claire didn’t know where the strength to speak her thoughts aloud came from, but was hit with a wave of pride in herself. 

_Boom. Lights on._

It seems like the spirit always disappeared when she stepped up, like a game of cat and mouse, and Claire didn’t know which role she is playing. 

\- 

Frank sat on his chair for hours, his thoughts drifting back to the day he met Claire the first time. It wasn’t actually the day he really met her, it was the day he first _saw and read_ about her. 

He sipped on the glass that contained his favourite whisky and stared at the closet that contained one of his biggest secrets kept from his wife. 

Claire was always the woman Frank knew he had to have, no matter the cost. He didn’t have to meet her to know that she would be his. As Frank always had been a fighter, he knew seeing her beautiful face on that parchment laying in front of his face, that she was the future Mrs. Randall. She and no other woman had the right to have his name, no matter the costs. 

Frank decided, as he dwelt in old memories, to once again read the parchment that changed his life. Turning the key in the lock, taking out the piece of paper, he returned to his chair and read it out loud with a sheepish grin on his face. 

“Claire E. Beauchamp. Kidnapped by the fairies?” 

Before reading further, Frank laid back in his chair, taking another sip of his whisky and a deep inhale before letting his breath fill the room. 

“Claire Beauchamp returned after two years of missing. She had been found at the stone circle of Craigh Na Dun having no further memory of the events surrounding her disappearance. We are looking for possible family of the woman to help her with her further recovery. Any help is appreciated.” 

Sucking in his breath through his nose, Frank remembered he contacted the newspaper, offering his help in finding Claire’s family. His wife didn’t know anything about this article, and he would do everything in his power to keep it that way. Frank succeeded in his plan and made Claire fall in love with him. He possessed her. His Claire. And no matter the lies he told her, all that mattered was that she would never find out the truth behind their meeting. She couldn’t, as he had done some research about the hill of Craigh Na Dun. 

He would do anything in his power to keep her away from the truth, or die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *BEING NERVOUS*  
> Alright I am truly sorry that I haven't uploaded in a while but HERE YOU GO!!!  
> I have finished writing the fic and I am happy with it, but let you guys judge it yourself! And YES Jamie is still a little creepy but that will change!!


	7. Mad Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “As no one will listen to me, I shall show ye that I ain’t gonna leave.”

Claire sat downstairs, still in shock from the gleaming gaze that burned itself into the depths of her mind. She didn’t care if Frank would find the office door unlocked, nor did she give a damn if he would know she was in there. Claire was on the edge of exhaustion and knew she couldn’t keep any of this up much longer.

She decided to ask Frank to go on a trip with her, leaving the house and the spirit that haunted her, without first asking herself whether the spirit would follow or not. Claire didn’t care at the moment; she was terrified and needed rest and all she hoped was that her husband somehow understood.

Claire couldn’t wait to hear the front door open and to hear her husband’s voice. She didn’t know why her body was filled with an anxious feeling ever since she decided to ask him to go away with her.

Ever since the thought of leaving for a while crossed her mind, breathing became harder. It felt like two arms wrapped themselves around her from behind, holding her as close as possible so she would not go.

Claire stood up once she heard Frank enter the room. She couldn’t wait and decided, why not ask him straight away?

“Frank, I would like to leave town with you for a bit. Just the two of us. How does that sound?”

The words were spoken faster than she intended to say them, and she looked impatiently into her husband’s eyes.

“Hm. Sounds lovely, Claire. When is it you would like to leave?”

A breath of relief escaped her body and her lips turned into a tiny smile as the grip around her body caused by the invisible arms got tighter. She couldn’t keep back a gasp as the lack of oxygen grew.

“Darling, are you alright?”

Now Claire didn’t hear the breath of a whisper next to her, it was _inside_.

“Do not leave.”

Claire’s face turned around in response to the voice in her head and she must have looked crazy as she tried to reach for something that wasn’t there.

“Claire!”

Frank’s voice was an echo that sounded far away while the three words kept repeating. Claire’s hands held tight on both sides of her ears, eyes closed, and she wanted it to stop.

_Stop. Stop. Stop._

“Stop!”

She fell to her knees only to feel her husband’s arms around her.

It was that moment all pressure left her body, and she could breathe deep in and out again. Her lungs filled with air and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“Frank, please take me away from here. Just for a bit.”

Claire looked up into a shocked pair of eyes. She had never seen Frank speechless but supposed there must be a first time for everything. After a few seconds of silence, she was helped up by her husband who now eyed her with concern.

“Claire, maybe you should see a physician. I have noticed extreme change in your behavior, and I’m afraid I am not the man who can help you with that.”

Claire’s eyes were burning when she realized what her husband was saying to her. And her thoughts were going crazy.

_I’m not mad! I’m being haunted by something you took with you. I can’t eat or sleep properly, I’m done. I don’t need a physician, I need the truth of why these things are happening._

She looked heavily breathing into her husband’s serious gaze and, once her mind quieted, she took a deep breath, using it all to release a few steady words.

“No. I need rest, Frank. I’m alright but we barely have spent time together.”

Frank shook his head.

“We can leave once you have come to your senses, Darling. Until further notice we remain here.”

And with those words he walked upstairs, not noticing anything different, leaving her alone.

“Did you get what you wanted?!”

Claire was sobbing and instead of feeling the icy air strangle her, she felt it hugging her. Those arms that made it hard to breath now wanted to comfort her. She felt that it had a message for her and until she understood this spirit would stay, even if it meant forever.

-

Frank sat in his office, annoyed at the behavior of his wife. He loved her, yes. She was his, yes. But he set the rules on how she should act and behave as he possessed her.

As Frank placed all the belongings from his suitcase on his desk, a small piece of parchment fell onto the floor. His eyes ripped open in shock when he realized it was the article he’d held in his hands a few hours ago. _He locked it back in the closet_

“What on earth?!”

He picked it up only to see that it was the exact same. He looked around the room as if the reason for this article to appear in his suitcase was there with him, watching him. He felt like he was being mocked and haunted by his biggest secret.

Frank knew more about Claire than she did. She had no family left, which made this entire situation a lot easier for him. Claire had lost nearly all her memory, she was returned with the knowledge of her name, her age and her birthplace. Everything else, blank. Frank remembered the meeting with the physician who took care of the situation, as if it was yesterday.

_”I’m quite qualified for this, doctor. I can assure you Mrs. Beauchamp will not realize that I am involved in this whole situation. I will do no more than be the historian she is requesting find her family, if you keep a secret in return._

_Franks gaze lingered on the nervous man in front of him. Claire had given him a hard time, being confused as she was about her journey. It was a complete mystery._

_”What is it, Mr. Randall?"_

_”You tell her nothing about the article in the newspaper. The reason they wrote about her was because of the accident she had. You will tell her you found out where she lived, I will arrange an accommodation to which she will be returned after her stay here. I will arrange everything and you will recommend me to help her with finding her roots. I will be her historian._

_Frank kept his gaze on the nervous man knowing the doctor didn’t trust him. But Frank wasn’t intimidated as he knew the man wanted to have Claire gone as soon as possible as his own reputation was at stake._

_”Alright, Mr. Randall. We have a deal.”_

Frank looked up when the lamp on his desk flickered again. The feel of the room changed, and it was filled with an icy breeze. Suddenly the room went pitch black and Frank could hear someone else’s breath filling the room as a growl followed.

“Who is there?”

Frank wasn’t the type to get scared quickly, or rather he didn’t want to show that he was scared.

The breath and growl grew louder, and Frank’s fear increased as he felt the room getting colder and colder.

_Silence._

Frank looked up as the room fell silent and his gaze lingered on every corner of the dark room. As his eyes had gotten used to the darkness, he could now recognize some features of it.

His gaze stopped at the string, which was attached to a lamp, as it swayed from left to right. And a sudden thud behind him made him jump from his chair and he could swear someone laughed.

Frank ran to the door where he knew there was a light switch for the whole room and suddenly there was light. He walked with heavy breaths back to his desk and immediately panic filled his chest. _It was gone. The article. It had disappeared._

-

Claire sat downstairs, calmed down from the prior events. She didn’t hear anything of Frank, as she was once again lost in her book. She only looked up when her husband came downstairs, his face as pale as the white wall beside him.

“Frank, are you alright?”

She closed the book and stood up to make her way towards him, but he indicated by raising his hand that he needed some time for himself. He quickly walked to the wardrobe, putting his jacket and shoes on.

“I’ll be back soon, don’t wait up for me.”

Claire’s gaze lingered on the door now closed in front of her and deep down she knew that he had just experienced the same type of haunting as she had over the past few days.

Claire decided to freshen herself up a bit and walked to the bathroom. Her brown curls tangled wildly into her face and her gaze reflected the exhaustion she’d endured ever since the spirit had begun interacting with her.

Claire placed a wet cloth on her face to freshen up, the cold water covering first the skin of her forehead, then her cheeks and finally her eyes. She looked up and stared at her reflection, wondering, what if Frank was right? What if she had gone mad and nothing she thought she’d endured had actually happened. Her breath caused as the feeling of anxiety flowed through her body. What if everything was in her head and the red-haired Scot was just a character made up by her mind?

Claire couldn’t pinpoint a difference between imagination and reality any longer, and it terrified her.

Her gaze settled on the reflection in front of her, and it was at that moment she realized that the reflection smiled at her. _But she wasn’t smiling._

Claire kept staring to make sure her sight wasn’t playing pranks on her. Her reflection indeed kept smiling at her. She took a few steps back and put her hand in front of her mouth to hold back a gasp, nearly ready to erupt as a scream.

_Giggle._

Claire wanted to leave the room, but her feet wouldn’t move, and she saw her face giggle at something which seemed to be in her direction. She didn’t want to turn around, but her body froze in an instant when she felt the icy air touch her back.

All of a sudden, the room was quiet. Her reflection was once again matching her movements and the air behind her warmed back up to a normal room temperature. The wardrobe with a mirrored door had opened a tiny bit and Claire only realized this once she stood at the sink to pick up the cloth she had accidentally thrown to the ground in her shock.

Once she opened it further, she saw a tiny parchment rolled up and bound with a red ribbon. Claire took the small paper between her fingers, careful not to damage it.

Removing the red ribbon, she studied the parchment she now held from every angle, as if it was a two hundred-year-old treasure she just had found.

She placed the ribbon next to her on her sink and something told her to sit down as she opened the parchment. Claire got the feeling that what she was going to read would change her whole life and she didn’t know if she was yet ready for it to be revealed.

Curiosity got the best of her and with her fingers she opened the parchment, where the words that were written in black letters said nothing else but “Claire E. Beauchamp, Kidnapped by the fairies?”

And so, Claire read everything which followed the title, studied the never-before seen picture of her, and she read her story, or what supposedly should be her story. At the moment she read the last word, a wind flew around her ears and she could hear two words emanating from it.

“The truth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT, MORE REVEALED!!!! Im wondering what you guys think will happen and i hope you like the twist this fic is taking!!!  
> Im actually currently thinking of making a Series out of this and turn this fic into a sequel. I have pre-written a test chapter soooo let's see! But for now let me know what you think!  
> Also a HUGE THANK YOU to Kris, my BETA.


	8. Insane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “All you are is insane, you are far away from being ordinary.”

Claire must have sat in the bathroom for a quite a bit as she didn’t hear Frank return from his sudden disappearance. She couldn’t move and she kept reading the article she held in her hands, looking at the picture of the woman that held her name, that was _her_. But at the same time, she was a completely different person. She didn’t recognize the Claire she saw printed on the parchment in front of her; she saw a sad, destroyed woman that went through more than just an accident.

“Claire, Darling?”

She looked up now feeling the tears she’d cried dry on her cheeks. Claire saw Frank’s gaze immediately fall on the piece of paper laying in her hand and he didn’t move a single muscle.

“What is that, Claire?”

Without a word, as she was too shocked to utter any, she stretched out her arm to Frank and handed him the article. He took it gently into his hand and Claire studied every single movement her husband made as she tried to learn if he had read it before. But his gaze was simply a blank stare as he started to read the words she had read so many times she had lost track.

“Claire. This article… it is written about you, why have you never told me? Clearly this was happening prior to our meeting, just shortly before you came to me for help. This is more than only having the accident you told me about.”

_He didn’t know._

She looked down onto her empty hands, not knowing what to say, and once she found words, she didn’t know if she chose the right ones.

“Frank. Who am I? If this article is true, I was gone for two years. I know I don’t remember anything that happened previous to my accident and I have learned to live with it, trusting the people around me. But this? How can I not have seen this?”

Claire never asked herself what her life had been before her accident. She didn’t think or talk about it often, as the thought of the emptiness scared her. The fear of not knowing was something Claire needed to learn to live with, and she managed quite well until that piece of paper landed in front of her.

“Darling. You are still you. My wife.”

“Frank, I’ve always only been your wife. I’m more than that apparently. Who was I before you? I thought I could live with it but reading all of this, seeing that scared woman laying there... I thought I buried my fears with my knowledge two years ago, but maybe there’s more to all of this.”

Claire looked at Frank, waiting for him to respond but what she saw was that her husband didn’t look concerned for her. He didn’t look sad or upset, instead he looked mad.

“Why do you need to know that, we’re happy aren’t we? You have lived perfectly well the past two years, Claire. No need to dig up open wounds. Now stand up, we haven’t had a proper dinner in a while. Let’s get back to our routine, forget about this silly article, and live our life as husband and wife. Nothing else, understood?”

Claire bit her lower lip and nodded softly and then threw away the article, walking out of the bathroom. _I just have to forget about it. This is my life now._

As she prepared dinner and set the table, Frank was of course upstairs in his office leaving Claire alone to think. She stirred the soup that was starting to boil, when those two words whispered into her ear over and over.

“The truth. The truth. The truth.”

She shook her head and decided to focus on the boiling meal in front of her rather than the voice that tried to convince her of something. With teeth clenched she gave a tiny answer.

“Leave me alone, please.”

A few seconds later she poured the broth equally in two bowls, calling her husband to join her at the table.

Once he sat next to her, Claire took the spoon into her hand, eating the savory soup she had made. _She missed eating._

“Frank?”

She saw her husband looking up at her absently and waited until he indicated that he is listening.

“Did you know anything about this article? I mean, it didn’t just fly in here.”

She ate another spoon while waiting for Frank to answer, and the silence in between confirmed to her that something was indeed not right with the man she thought she knew so well.

“Claire. I came across it before we got married. I didn’t want to upset you and kept it in the top drawer of my office desk, which makes me wonder how you got it. I told you to not enter that room without my permission.”

_He turned this on her. How could he turn all this against her?! All she wanted was the truth._

“I… I didn’t Frank. This isn’t my fault, I told you it was in the bathroom.”

He scoffed, looking at her with a face of disgust.

“You are insane, Claire. There is no other word for a woman like you. Have you no shame to mislead your husband? The man that gave and still gives you the world? The man that would do anything to make you happy? I really think a physician would help you with your insane behaviors like this, and your physical issues, I want you to become the woman you were when we married. The woman that didn’t avoid my touch.

Claire stared at Frank, throwing those words at her like she was some sort of object. Her appetite once again disappeared, and she felt sick to her stomach. Claire put the spoon down, a few tears spilling from her eyes.

“I am not insane, Frank. I told you I didn’t find this in your office.”

“But you also didn’t say that you didn’t go in there without asking me. And will you stop crying for once? This just proves again that you aren’t fit for an adult conversation, Claire.”

Frank put his napkin next to his plate and rose from his chair, still looking at her.

“I will try to find some place for you to recover, as this isn’t the one for you, and I need my rest.”

“Where do you want me to go? I don’t want to leave!”

He smiled at her, taking a few steps towards her to put his hand on her wet cheek.

“I will find a place, Darling. I promise you will be taken care of and it won’t be for long. A few weeks will do wonders to calm your nerves.”

And with those words he left back upstairs.

Heavy sobs escaped Claire’s chest and she couldn’t help but fall to her knees, crying everything out that she held inside. She could swear that she wasn’t alone, as icy arms wrapped themselves around her, and for once she wasn’t scared to be visited.

-

Frank sat in his office doing research into places that could help Claire gain back some sanity. He knew that she didn’t get that article out of his office, but before she could think otherwise, he needed her to believe that the insanity was hers. So, he sat there for hours, until he could find a place where he could send her to, just a few weeks, to get his wife back.

-

Hours passed and Frank hadn’t left his office yet, leaving Claire to wonder where he went. The moment she thought about him, he walked downstairs; his hands filled with piles of what seems to be papers. Before she could ask, he explained to her.

“Claire. I found a place for you to go. They have space for a span of three weeks in a place called Lier in Norway. They have excellent physicians there and they can help you return to your old self.”

“Wait, what? Norway? Frank, what are you talking about?”

Before her voice could increase in volume, Frank asked her to calm down.

“Darling, it is for just three weeks. You can talk to different physicians which will help you in coping with the article you have found. Also, your behavior towards me has varied immensely. You have never acted like this and I’m concerned for your wellbeing.”

Claire shook her head, immediately answering that she wouldn’t go into a mental hospital.

“I have called, and you will be assigned by Monday morning. I will arrange a airline ticket for you, with land transport from the airport in Oslo. It is a half hour drive from the city and the asylum opened in 1926.”

Claire didn’t care about the details, all she wanted was to stay here. What would she find there? She wasn’t ready to face what awaited but, as usual, her husband had arranged everything for her before even giving her an opportunity to have a say, and before she knew it, she was packing her suitcase in their bedroom, shivering from the cold that filling the room.

“I know. This time I don’t want to leave.”

Once she finished packing some clothes, she wouldn’t need over the next few days, she sat herself on the bed, hoping that time would move slowly until Monday and that she could find a way to avoid her trip to Norway. But unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the way Claire wanted and before she knew it she found herself on an airplane flying her to the worst three weeks she’d ever experience.

Once Claire arrived at the airport, she was picked up by an older man, mid-fifties it seemed and very short spoken. He held a sign which had her name written on and escorted her to a black car which waited for them. The ride was indeed about half an hour as Frank had mentioned, and once they arrived, they parked in front of a huge white building, surrounded by the green of nature. It had a dark, eerie feeling to it and Claire immediately experienced a heavy feeling in her stomach.

The driver asked Claire to step out and she couldn’t do much else beyond stare. Once she was taken into the building, she saw the large dark hallways, doors which had a brownish tint from the mold and musty mildew she also saw creeping up in the corners of the rooms, which no one seemed to pay attention to. The walls once were white but now looked almost beige from the years they had seen and when Claire was shown to her room, she looked around to see the walls were covered in the same beige as the hallways. A tiny bed stood in the corner of the room which got some light from the window near where it was placed. The mold must be covering the whole building as she could see it in the corners of her room. Another door showed a space where she could place her belongings, and with a thud the door behind her was closed firmly, leaving her alone to let her take in everything which had happened to her.

As she sat on the mattress, with the creaking springs beneath her indicating that the bed had seen a few years, she realized that her room was ice cold, and a shiver ran down her spine. She looked around when she felt as if she were being watched. It was like when she was alone at home, but different. The creaking door which should be her closet opened just a tiny bit and as Claire focused on the gap between wall and door, she swore she saw an eye as white as snow which made her scream aloud, the sound echoing from the four sparse walls she had been surrounded by for the last half hour. And the moment she heard the door open and saw people running in to hold her, she knew she was in a more precarious situation than she thought, and also that the spirit which haunted her here wasn’t the same as that which haunted her at home. It was something darker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little disclaimer, I will not be writing about the mental hospital and what Claire has experienced in there will remain a "secret" (until i decide to maybe write a separate fic about it).
> 
> The hospital she is in is actually real, you can google it and add together how people treated their patients there.
> 
> And now the fun will begin, the next Chapter we will be revealing more!!! 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading and hanging on to this fic and also a huge thank you to my beta Kris.


	9. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It was you who broke me, so you can’t be the one fixing my heart.”

_Three weeks. Three weeks passed._ Claire had been seated on the couch for the past few hours, becoming accustomed to her home once again. Hours felt like days and Claire only realized she had been lost in her thoughts when Frank sat next to her with an expression of concern. 

“Claire. You haven’t spoken to me since you returned three hours ago. Aren’t you happy to be back?” 

A short nod was all she gave her husband, before drifting off once again. Claire couldn’t forget the horrors she went through over the past few weeks and she swore to herself to not talk about it as the flashbacks to her memories were already more than she could bear. 

Claire decided she needed to lay down and asked Frank to put her to bed. Her husband wasn’t pleased to be required to expend efforts assisting with his wife’s needs but helped her upstairs anyway. 

Once Claire was lying in bed, she couldn’t do much else beyond staring at the wall above her while she let her memories get the best of her. The dark entity she saw that first day, had been with her through the full three weeks, never leaving her side and Claire finally decided to give in, letting that beast haunt her as much as it wanted. 

Claire drifted off into a restless sleep, completely forgetting the ghost awaiting her in the house she once sought for shelter but now more felt like another prison. Her dreams, filled with the spirit that didn’t leave her alone in a place she never want to see again. 

_Waking up to a view of the moldy walls, Claire couldn’t move. She was bound to her bed but not by something, more by someone. Her breath started to speed up and increase in volume as she stared into the corner of the room where a figure with gleaming white eyes had now appeared._

_She wanted to scream her lungs out, wanted to get help, wanted to feel safe, but all her body could do was stare into the white eyes that almost hypnotized her. She had never felt so uncomfortable in her life, but knew she had no other choice._

_The figure came closer, slowly, leaving Claire to wait in agony for her nightmare to be over. She wanted it to end, now, as she didn’t know how much longer she could bear it._

_Her eyes popped open, staring at the figure which now only stood a few centimeter away from her, feeling its icy breath on her own face. The only sound that escaped Claire’s body was a whimper filled with fear and terror while the white eyes stared into her frightened soul and sucked out all her energy._

Claire shot upright, screaming while both her hands touched her face where she could still feel the icy air she had dreamt of. But that wasn’t a dream, it was a memory of the nightmare she had on the first day arriving at that horrible place. 

Frank responded to her scream by rushing into the bedroom, since he had been in his office, rather than in bed next to her. 

“Claire, are you alright?” 

She could see that Frank only asked out of politeness, as the moment she nodded slightly he had disappeared once again.   
Her husband didn’t ask about those three weeks away and she didn’t know if she should be happy about that or sad as she had no one else to turn to other than the man with whom she lived. But Claire also knew that Frank was the reason she had endured such suffering in the first place. 

_He broke me._

It was at that moment that Claire felt the wetness of tears on her cheeks and once again an icy chill next to her. She turned her head to look into the emptiness, knowing exactly who was present. 

When Claire decided to stand up, feeling less frightened by the presence that lingered next to her, a sudden rustling sound caught her attention. She found a piece of paper on her bedside, which made her think about the article she’d found a few weeks back. Claire’s emotions spun out of control as she had flashbacks of the pain caused by that old article. 

Curiosity got the best of Claire and she decided to pick up the piece of paper that featured a picture of the Highlands. The beauty of it took her breath away and something told her that she should take a walk through the beauty Scotland had to offer. Claire hadn’t napped very long due to her bad dreams, so she decided to fill her afternoon just with that.

_A walk through the Scottish Highlands._

Before leaving the house, she knocked on the office door which Frank opened just shortly after her last knock. 

“What is wrong, Darling?” 

_Oh please, save yourself your ‘Darling’._ Claire had enough. 

“I want to go for a walk, I just wanted to inform you so that you won’t worry you while I’m gone.” 

She didn’t know why but she was afraid he wouldn’t let her go and the face of her husband only confirmed her fears had not been misplaced. 

“Claire, you’ve only just returned from three weeks of intensive programs. Your body must be exhausted. Can’t you wait a bit and take your walk in a few days when you’re well rested?” 

“No, I would like to go now.” 

Claire’s lips were pressed tightly together in an attempt to prevent the tears which burned in her eyes from rolling down her cheeks; she was quite emotional. To help her case she added a dry and quiet, “Please?” to her sentence. 

“Claire, a walk is not what you need right now. I will join you shortly after I have finished some things. You shouldn’t be so alone.” 

“Oh please, Frank! You were the one that broke me, you can’t be the one to fix my bloody heart!” 

She had more than enough and her tears now ran freely over her cheeks while her temper could no longer be hidden in the depths of her chest. She saw the surprised stare from Frank, now speechless from hearing his wife raise her voice to him like that. 

“Claire, calm down. Do not talk to me that way! As I said, you can go for a walk in a few days, all by yourself as you wish, but right now you will remain at home! Read a book, make yourself some tea, but do not leave this house.” 

And with those words the door in front of Claire’s nose closed, leaving her alone once more. 

Claire walked downstairs, sobs escaping her chest and more tears falling onto her cheeks. _I’m bloody well old enough to decide what’s best for me._

The moment she thought those words, the front door slowly opened. 

_It wasn’t caused by a breeze. The windows were all closed._

Claire looked over her shoulder and around her, without any real expectation of seeing someone. 

Taking this as a sign, she put on her coat and shoes and left with the car keys to take her trip to the Highlands, where no one would tell her what to do. 

Upon finding a beautiful spot, Claire parked her car and got out. Looking around she realized once again that she had made the right decision, and this was exactly what she needed. She chose a path to walk on then came to a sudden halt when a vision blurred her sight. 

_”I can’t marry you, I don’t even know your real name”_

_”James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser.”_

_”Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp.”_

And with a sudden wave of dizziness, she found herself kneeling in the green grass trying to process what had just hit her. 

She couldn’t match up this vision with any of her known past memories but she recognized the red-haired Scot that who had just been shown next to her. _It was him. But why?_

Claire wasn’t sure when she could ever have lived through the vision she’d just experienced, nor was she sure if this vision was really a memory or just an imaginary scene shown to her by the spirit following her for some time now. 

“James… His name is James.” 

_Now I can call you._

Claire decided to let everything sink in for a bit and walked for the next few hours around the same area. She still couldn’t make up her mind as to why she had seen what she had seen or why James would want to show her what he had. 

Feeling a shiver down her spine, this time from the temperature drop, she decided to drive home but the moment she entered the house she heard Frank stamping down the stairs, filled with rage. 

“Claire! Where have you been? You are to do as I say! What if something had happened to you?” 

“Calm down, Frank. I needed this walk, more than you can imagine. If I hadn’t felt good enough to go, I wouldn’t have done it, but if you don’t recall I am old enough to make my own decisions.” 

This didn’t seem to calm him down as he now walked to the liquor cabinet to pour himself a glass. 

“I didn’t send you all the way to Norway only to have you come back and disobey me once again! Has this all been a waste of my time?”   
“Your time?” 

She couldn’t believe what she heard. _His time?_

“Yes, Claire! My time! My money! You are my wife so you live under my rules! But no, you have to run off at the first possible opportunity and go behind my back.”

Claire looked at Frank walking closer, still holding his glass filled with liquor in his right hand while his left one ran agitatedly through his messy brown hair. 

“You were supposed to learn something there, not hold onto your usual habits! I swear if you resist obeying your husband again then…”

“Then what, Frank? You already treat me like a piece of garbage.” 

This was enough for Frank now walking furiously towards Claire, his left hand rising up but coming to a halt before moving further. 

It was then Claire had another clear vision, just as she encountered on her walk in the green hills of Scotland.

The face in front of her looked like Frank, but it truly wasn’t. The man wore a red coat, his hair wasn’t the short length her husband wore it but was long, pulled back in a low ponytail. The color was the same, and Claire saw that this man also had some natural curls, just like her, only damp. He looked like he jumped out of the 18th century, his face filled with rage, just like Frank’s was now, but there was something different in the gaze that lingered on her. She couldn’t say what. 

The flashes of vision were blurry, but she could see herself and the man who looked like her husband weren’t on good terms, their voices were raised. She couldn’t recognize the surroundings, only saw a big window to her left. She was bent over what looked like a desk. And the voice of James was once again echoing in the back of her head. 

_”I’ll thank ye to take yer hands off my wife!”_

Shaking her head, she stared at her husband, now appearing his old self again. In the meantime, he had put his hand down, reconsidering the mistake he was about to make. 

“I’m sorry I left.” 

Claire didn’t know why she apologized but she also knew she wasn’t completely herself at the moment as she once again tried to recollect her memories. Did James try to make her remember something? And did she hear him calling her wife? Why did that man look like Frank? All these thoughts were spinning in her mind. 

_This is all a lot to take in._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm so excited to finally post this chapter!!!! I know in previous chapters Claire hasn't been herself but FINALLY she is stepping up! She knows she can't live this life any longer and it seems like Jamie is helping her MORE AND MORE!!!!
> 
> I hope you guys like this Chapter and I always love to hear your theories!
> 
> Also thank you to my BETA Kris!!!


	10. Stones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The cold stone called me, it made me see things.”

After Claire had a difficult time clearing her mind from the images it filled with yesterday during the argument with Frank, she decided to take some time to herself today, which shouldn’t be difficult. Frank didn’t like to be with her anyway when her behaviour was, according to him, not “normal”.

She was sitting on the chair in front of her vanity, staring at the pale reflection she saw in the mirror. For all she knew, those images could have been conjured by her mind as protection for those three weeks she had suffered; they could also be a dream, as the haunted feel of the house hadn’t stopped and still lingered in every corner. 

Claire stood up from the wooden chair and walked towards the bed where she prepared her pillows as she needed some rest and the burning of her eyes made them feel as if they wanted to close themselves. Once she was lying in bed it took her less than a minute to drift off into a sleep, even as more images filled her head. 

_Claire looked around as she stood in the midst of the green Highlands, breathing in the clear air that filled her lungs. No one could be seen for miles but once she turned around, she saw something at the top of the hill. Brows furrowed in an attempt to see more, she could see a little girl, with hair as red as could be and wearing only a white nightgown which floated with the wind building up on the top of the hill._

_Her red curls were flying around wildly but didn’t touch her face. She was beautiful. Claire walked towards the girl to ask her if she was lost, but as she got closer the girl disappeared. She looked around, trying to find the girl for she was worried for her wellbeing._

_”Hello? Are you there? You don’t have to be afraid of me.”_

_Claire only now recognized the majestic stone circle in front of her with the tallest of them placed in the middle. The wind had grown stronger up here which she thought was due to the height and placement of the hill. The pair of whisky-eyes lingered on the granite in front of her and she swore she had fallen into a trance she from which hardly shake herself._

_Taking a few steps closer, the little girl sat now on a stone that must have fallen hundreds of years ago, and which now made a great surface to sit on._   
  
_”There you are. I thought I had lost you. I’m Claire, Claire Randall.”_

_The little girl stared at her and the gaze of two sets of whisky-eyes met and Claire couldn’t help but cry out when she couldn’t differentiate between dream and reality any longer._

Claire shot up, cheeks wet from the tears running down in the aftermath of the dream she just had. Her shaking hands wiped away the salty wetness from her face but she couldn’t think of any reason why that dream had shaken her the way it did. 

The dryness in her mouth made her notice her thirst and she walked downstairs, not realizing that her husband wasn’t in the house. After her glass of water was filled her gaze fell on the wardrobe which was missing Franks coat and shoes, leaving her to wonder where he had gone. 

It wasn’t until dinner that Frank returned with a huge smile on his face. 

“Claire, Darling, I have wonderful news!” 

She looked up from the stove and was surprised that she wasn’t more worried about him just disappearing on her. _This must have become normal._

“What news?” 

Claire’s mind still wandered as she stirred the brew in front of her. She couldn’t keep her mind off her dream but the words her husband was about to throw at her would have torn her from any thought. 

“I have gotten a new position in London, Claire. I’ve been asked to help on a project at the University of London. I can start in two weeks! We can finally settle and I can do work that properly fits my standards, plus we didn’t like Scotland all that much.” 

Claire stopped the moment she heard London and stared at him. _We didn’t like Scotland? He didn’t like Scotland._

“Frank, this is my home, and besides, when did you decide all of this? I thought you liked your position here. This all seems so abrupt, I can’t believe it. Tell me you are lying!” 

But as her gaze met her husband’s she knew that he very much told the truth, leaving her with nothing else to say as she knew no argument of hers could keep him from following his plans and dreams. But little did she know the real reason for his sudden urge to depart.   
  
\-   
  
Frank left his wife downstairs before he had to hear more words escape her mouth as all he wanted was to finish up everything and wait for Claire to bring his supper upstairs. 

The moment he sat on his chair, a heavy breath escaped his chest; he had a lot to figure out. Two weeks to find a Job, as the University of London did not work on a project like Frank mentioned, plus he must find an accommodation for the both of them. 

There was a reason Frank lied to his wife about the new position. The situations that happened over the past weeks were scaring him. He was afraid Claire would eventually find out about everything he had hidden from her the past few years, and this simply couldn’t happen. 

Frank had planned every aspect of their lives together so that Claire’s memory would not return, but the moment that article appeared in the house, he knew that something was going on and they had to leave. He was never a man that believed in superstition, but with everything happening with his wife, he had to believe that there was something going on of which he was ignorant.

Getting his dinner delivered to the door to his office, Frank returned to his chair, continuing his search for places to stay and to go to when he would pretend to go to work, as otherwise Claire would find out about it pretty quickly. But little did Frank know that something wouldn’t let them go that easily.   
\-   
Claire stared into her bowl of food repeating the words that Frank had thrown at her all over again. This is her home, _even though James is haunting it._   
  
She felt the air grow thicker and thicker around her, combined with the dryness of her throat, making it harder to swallow. _I need to get out._

Claire rather impulsively grabbed her coat and shoes, picked the umbrella out of the stand as rain was pouring from the sky, and she left. Sitting in her car, she decided to just drive to wherever her instincts took her, and she stared outside once she realized she was at the exact same spot her dream had started. 

Turning off the motor, she needed a moment to understand what this could mean and why she was there. She didn’t expect to see a little girl at the top of the hill but also didn’t dare to look as the past month had shown that nothing is impossible. 

The rain was pouring, and Claire only saw was darkness as no light was reaching the hills of Scotland. She sat for a while, staring into the dark rain not knowing what to do. She didn’t want to leave her car due to her fear of freezing to death before she could even return to it, so she chose to not do anything at all. 

She sat there for what must have been an hour and decided it was time to head home, before Frank might realize that she was gone, but once she turned on the car’s headlights her blood froze and her breath stopped. 

At a distance, she saw the white nightgown and the small silhouette of the girl in her dreams. But one thing threw Claire off, the rain didn’t touch the girl, and the red curls were flying around in the cold air, so she only stared at the ghost in front of her. 

Claire stepped out of the car, completely forgetting about the umbrella she’d taken with her, running towards the apparition that wanted to tell her something, but once Claire got closer the little girl ran up the hill and it was now that Claire realized the little feet were bare and she didn’t wear any shoes.   
  
She ran after the girl, quickly out of breath as she hadn’t ran in a while _or ever._ Realizing where the girl had brought her sent a shudder down her spine and Claire knew it wasn’t because of the cold rain. 

And there she was sitting on the wet stone, red hair, whisky eyes looking up at her. Claire looked around as the stone circle once again surrounded her and everything looked exactly like in her dream, except it was dark and rainy. 

“Who are you? And what do you want?” 

Due to the loud rain, Claire made her voice louder, but the darkness made it hard to see every detail of the child’s face. She decided to step closer to her. Once lightning flashed, Claire tried to take in everything about the girl in front of her, using the opportunity provided by the storm, and she couldn’t help but think of James the girl resembled him so much. 

Once Claire got close to her, her heart was aching at the sight of the sad whisky-eyed gaze looking up. 

“Who are you? And where are your parents?” 

Claire kneeled and swore she could see tears on the freckled cheeks. She waited for the girl to respond and once the girl’s gaze lingered on hers, the little hand reached out to brush Claire’s cheek but all she felt was icy air on the place where the skin of the little fingers should have touched hers. 

“I’m Faith.” 

This one word. One name ripped Claire’s heart in two and she didn’t know why. And it was that moment the girl whose name was Faith stood up, her gaze lingering behind Claire’s shoulder. 

Claire watched as Faith stood up and walked around her. She turned around to follow the girl’s steps and saw that they weren’t alone. Now James appeared to her completely, next to the tallest stone of the circle as if he is waiting for something or someone. 

The little girl held his hand and they both looked at Claire, their gazes filled with expectations. 

“I don’t understand. I-“ 

All Claire wanted was an explanation. As she looked upon the two spirits in front of her, seeing how James now carried little Faith in his arms filled her heart with love but at the same time pain. All she wanted was to belong there. Something inside her heart longed for their touch but she couldn’t say what and for the first time she took a few steps towards the stone, now realizing that a buzzing which sounded like bees had filled her ears. 

Her tears mixed with the rain dripping down her face as she still looked at the both of them. It was then she wished she could look at them forever but the louder the buzzing got the more their appearance faded. Her steps towards them were longing but hesitant and all she wanted was to touch them. 

“The stone is calling ye, Claire. Touch it.” 

She looked at him, her gaze filled with confusion and now she realized the step towards them also closed the distance between her and the tallest stone. As buzzing grew louder Claire’s mind started spinning and as she walked closer to the wet granite in front of her, her arms rose as she longed for the touch of the wet stone on her hands. 

Claire almost closed the distance between her and the stone when she felt a harsh grip on her left wrist, forcing her to face the husband that must have looked for her. Frank’s gaze didn’t seem worried for her but she saw in his eyes that he was worried for something else, leaving her to wonder how on earth he knew where to find her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT!!! You all can see where this is going right? I hope you all like it! We're getting into the last few Chapters and I am still so thankful for everyone who is reading!  
> Also a huge thank you to my BETA Kris.


	11. Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Two words. One name and a blank memory.”

The next thing Claire knew, she was sitting in Frank’s car. The rain no longer wet her curls and the sound of the downpour had changed to heavy drops onto the windscreen. Frank didn’t say a word, merely pulled her as fast as he could onto the passenger seat.

_Was this the hill from the article she read? Was the article real, not a hoax like the people in the asylum had told her? She couldn’t wrap her mind around any of this._

Frank came out of nowhere but how could he even know where she had gone? _He must have followed me._ She felt uncomfortable sitting in the silence next to her husband and all she wanted was to get into her own car but she knew that wasn’t an option.

“What have I told you about leaving the house without telling me, Claire?”

His voice was calm, _too calm_ and Claire didn’t want to look at him, so her gaze lingered on the top of the hill, replaying the happenings of the last few minutes. Her mind showed her James and little Faith standing in front of the stone, the buzzing that filled her ears, and the trance-like state she had fallen into. Claire asked herself what would have happened if Frank hadn’t stopped her? _What was the reason for all this to happen?_

“You treat me like a child, Frank. For you it is alright to just disappear without telling me, but if I do it, you act like I did the worst thing possible.”

She heard her husband scoff and felt a sudden grip on her chin that forced her to look directly into the cold gaze of the man next to her. Claire’s lips were pressed together, her face and hair still wet from the typical Scottish weather, and her eyes burned with tears.

“You can’t even look at me, Claire, and you know damn well that you are my wife and you are to obey me.”

The burning sensation in her eyes increased until tears rolled down her cheeks. _This isn’t the life I want._ Claire’s head tilted back to escape the grip of her husband, her gaze once again lingering on the top of the hill and as a bolt of lightning hit she swore she could see the silhouettes of the two ghosts that wanted to tell her something.

Frank allowed Claire to drive home in her own car, but of course only if he followed her so she couldn’t drive off into nowhere. _He had complete control over her._

Once at home, Claire parked her car and rushed inside to avoid more of Frank’s looks at her. _She needed to be alone._ But before she could walk upstairs, she felt the grip on her wrist again.

“Please Frank, I need to be alone.”

“You’ve just been alone for the past hours, let us have some time together Claire.”

_Time together. He just wants to fuck._

“Frank, I’m soaking wet. I want to freshen up and go to bed, I’m tired.”

The grip on her wrist loosened and Claire waited for Frank’s nod confirming she was allowed to leave. She couldn’t deny that sometimes her own husband frightened her, but what else was she to do? She had no one else.

Once the nod came, she walked rather quickly upstairs and into the bathroom. Locking the door, she couldn’t hold back her sobs any longer and she cried, not caring whether Frank heard her misery.

After freshening herself up, Claire decided to immediately get ready for bed. Dressed in her nightgown she prepared her pillows and covered herself with the warmth of the blanket. It was one of those nights when Claire knew Frank would join her, and she was right.

A few hours passed, and Claire was still wide awake, staring holes into the bedroom ceiling, trying to ignore the loud snores of Frank. Claire had more questions than before, and she couldn’t wrap her mind around the little girl Faith and why she appeared all of a sudden.

_Why wasn’t she there before?_

James had haunted her house for a while now, trying his best to communicate with her. But Faith? She hadn’t seen her before as she only had appeared to Claire today. But after all she doesn’t know how the afterlife works. Communication might not be as easy as she thinks it is and maybe for children it could be a bit harder.

And with all those thoughts Claire drifted off into a restful sleep with little Faith on her mind at last.

_Two words, one name._

_I’m Faith._

-

Claire woke up the next day, raindrops dripping on the window, the sound of the wind filling her ears on this Sunday morning as if it wanted to wake her with its song. She looked next to her but Frank still asleep.

She rose from their bed and decided to get herself some coffee. Claire’s mind still replaying the image of Faith and James, the both of them standing there, not touched by the cold wetness of the rain. James holding the little girl close, both their expressions waiting for something, or someone, to join them and she couldn’t get past the feeling that it was her they waited for. But why would they wait for her?

Claire remembered the two _flashbacks_ she had. The first where she got introduced to James and the second where he called her his wife.

And with a sudden flash a new one followed mere seconds after she had thought of the last one and Claire was sucked into a series of short images that broke her into pieces.

_”My Baby. Where is my Baby?”_

_Screams. Blood. More screams._

_”Faith.”_

And with a loud gasp she was torn from the images cursing her mind. Nausea hit her body, forcing her to run to the bathroom where she seemingly vomited her guts out.

She freshened herself up, staring at the pale reflection in the glass before her. She didn’t want to replay the images she had seen, but they had burned themselves deep into her brain, forcing her mind to review them the second she thought about them.

Once Claire was again downstairs, she sipped slowly on the coffee she had freshen up as it had gotten cold.

_”I’m Faith.”_

She died as a baby and the most logical explanation for Claire was that Faith had showed her the cause of death like that so Claire could try to understand. Why else? Claire had herself never been pregnant. But the fact that this gut-wrenching vision had felt more realistic than the life she currently led, made Claire feel insecure about everything going on.

Still not completely recovered from the _vision_ she’d experienced, Claire looked up when her husband made his way downstairs and she decided to focus on the meal she was going to prepare, rather than her racing mind.

“Good morning, Frank. What would you like for breakfast?”

“The usual.”

So there she went, preparing eggs and toast and a second pot of coffee as she could use another cup herself. She tried everything she could do to take her mind off recent events, but the pain inside her chest grew by the minute and it became harder for her to breathe.

A sudden shudder ran down her spine as she felt the icy air chilling her back and she knew James was with her once more. _Was Faith with him?_ She didn’t know as all she felt was his large presence behind her. But again, what did she know about the afterlife?

Once plates were emptied and Frank again back in his office, Claire decided to clean up the kitchen and dishes as she knew Frank wouldn’t let her go out for her walk anyway.

She opened drawer by drawer to keep her mind off her thoughts as much as possible, and to make the distraction go on for as long as it could.

_Creak._

Claire stopped her motions, as from the corner of her eye she saw a dark surface moving. _Something opened._ She moved her head to the right to find a top drawer ajar.

“James. Is that you?”

Careful to not speak too loudly, she looked around, waiting for an answer but instead only heard metal hitting the granite floor. Trying to find out where it came from, her head turned but she couldn’t see anything. As silence filled the room once again, she decided to continue where she left off and emptied the next drawer.

Time passed quickly and Claire finished cleaning out the drawers and decided to continue with the floor, and with a sudden movement of the broom she held, the same sound filled her ears as a small piece of metal now rolled over the granite floor she was sweeping.

A tiny ring rolled on the floor in front of Claire, and her gaze didn’t leave it until she picked it up with two fingers and was once again hit with a _vision_ as she knew somehow that she had seen this ring before.

_Lallybroch. Home. Jamie._

_”I love you.”_

She gasped; the pictures had been clear as day and she saw flashed images of the ring being put on her finger by the man that had haunted her for months. _Not James, it’s Jamie._

She couldn’t recall these images as her memory was blank. She still didn’t know if those were actual visions, flashbacks, or just thoughts conjured by her mind. But how could images have been summoned by her touching a ring? A ring which she had never seen before, but was ripped out of images that included her _with a Ghost._

Did she have a previous life? Were these images of a life she had lived before, and of the man she had been with? Did she live in a happy marriage? Claire couldn’t handle all those questions and as time passed there came even more. Faith. Jamie. Frank finding her at the stones. Her wanting to touch a large piece of wet granite as if she was praising it somehow. Longing for the touch of ghosts and so much more.

Then it dawned on her. _The article. Kidnapped by the fairies. The stones._ She stood up, not knowing how she could get the answers she was looking for, but one thing she knew for sure. _Frank knew more. And now he wants to leave_.

Claire couldn’t leave, not now. And at that moment she felt icy air covering her back once again. _Jamie._ And once again the whisper she hadn’t heard for a while flew around her ears, sneaking into her head, saying words that she once heard before.

_“The truth, Claire. Ye have to find the truth._

And as fast as the icy feeling covered her warm body, it left. He was gone. And it felt like the more she learned, the sooner Jamie disappeared, as his hauntings hadn’t been as strong as they were at the beginning. She wanted to find the truth Jamie talked about so often. He also wanted her to run, but to where? The stones? What happened if she touched it? She knew to find out she had to do it. She needed to find a way to get back to the hill with the stone circle, or die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH!! CLAIRE GOT MORE VISIONS!!!  
> Will she be able to escape Frank?  
> A huge thank you to my BETA Kris & to all of you lovely readers!


	12. Mama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Mama, don’t go. Mama, don’t leave. Mama, you belong here.”

For days, Claire wasn’t allowed to leave the house without Frank. He chose to not leave for work, but rather to invite his clients to their home in order to keep a sharp eye on her. Claire longed for the cold breeze to brush her skin and for silence to fill her surroundings as the voices around her grew louder.

Frank had shown her a few photos of their new accommodations and all she wanted was to run. Run away like Jamie told her to do, run away from all her responsibility as Frank’s wife, run away from her life. _But where would I go?_

The move to London came closer and boxes started to crowd the house, leaving her heart aching. It wasn’t leaving the house that caused sadness to fill her body, instead somehow she felt that leaving Scotland was the main reason her heart was shattering into pieces.

Since Claire didn’t have visions anymore, and the closer their moving date came, the less Jamie’s hauntings got, so she thought she might be doing the right thing. He had told her to leave, after all. Maybe Frank wasn’t the problem, but it was something else. Maybe those spirits had confused her with someone else and projected the life of someone else into her mind. Maybe, just maybe, she could start over with Frank in London and forget that stupid article, the hauntings, Faith, and the stone circle.

Her ambitious thoughts of trying to touch the stone faded by the day, and with Frank keeping an eye on her at every possible second of the day, giving up was Claire’s only option and she made peace with that. At least she tried her best.

The ring Claire had found days ago was kept close to her and she decided to take it with her as a reminder of this house and perhaps even as a remembrance of Jamie as she had developed a liking for the spirit haunting her memories. Even with the feelings of suffering she had experienced over these past months.

-

As Claire continued to pack up the house for the next few days, she stumbled across a piece of clothing which she’d thought would no longer see the light of day. It was from her visit to Norway.

_ Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. _ __

She closed her eyes, trying to ease the anxiety burrowing into the depths of her chest. Claire stood up, walked towards the bin and decided to not think of those weeks any longer. _They are in the past._ Claire admitted she had been proud of herself for overcoming the horror of those days the way she did. Somehow she had always been good with coping, or hiding.

Getting back to her packing, the room filled itself with the so-familiar icy air. _It had been a while._ She felt a shudder of cold running down her spine and the air simply touched her left shoulder and a breath of air crept up behind her head, moving from left ear to right. She couldn’t understand the words that were said and tried to focus as intently as she could, and finally she swore she could hear the word.

_ ”Mama.”  _ __

\- 

_ ”Da, Mama needs us.Why won’t she listen to us? She canna go.” _

_ ”I ken, a leannan, but I canna do much more. I have tried, but it is up to yer Ma to decide what makes her happy. _ __

_ ”You make her happy, Da, ye always have. The moment I passed you were the one on her mind. Time and memories do not matter, she loves ye, she just needs to remember.”  _ __

_ ”Ye have to move on, mo ghraidh. Ye have been stuck here wi’ me for longer than ye should have been. I dinna think such things even possible.” _ __

_ “Da, I willna leave ye. Not until ye have Mama back. Not until she will touch the stone. I have to try. You have given up, but I couldn’t give you anything, let me give ye Mama back.” _ __

\- 

Claire didn’t think more about the contact with the supernatural she just had, but thought about Faith at the instant she heard the word might have been _Mama._

“I’m not your Mama, Faith.” 

_ ”But you are! Mama, you are! Please remember, Da needs you! _ __

Nothing. No answer. Claire didn’t hear anything. 

_ “Mama, don’t go. Mama, don’t leave. Mama, you belong here. _ _ ” _ __

_ Thud. _

Claire turned around in an instant as her hairbrush had just fallen to the floor.

“There you are!”

“Don’t leave.”

It was a caress of air. Two words, but not Jamie’s. He had stopped telling her to run a few days ago, then his hauntings disappeared. This spirit wasn’t him, it was Faith. Claire gave all her attention to the little girl that had found her way into her house. Does she have the same reason as Jamie for telling her not to leave?

For Claire one thing was sure, she had three days left to figure things out. Three days to know if she was doing the right thing. Scotland was her home, but her thoughts of the spirits possibly mixing her up with someone else wouldn’t leave her.

“What should I do? Am I the person you are looking for?”

_ Footsteps. _ __

“Mama.”

“I am not your Mama. I don’t have children, I think you must have me confused with someone else.”

It was then that Claire could swear she saw the reflection of Faith in the mirror of her vanity. The girl looked the same, skin freckled and her beautiful red curls sitting on her shoulders as her whisky eyes held an upset expression. Her eyes weren’t bright but dark. _She was angry._

Before Claire could say anything else the mirror in front of her cracked, and the reflection disappeared as a breath of air lingered around her in the most heart-breaking voice Claire had ever heard.

“You are my Mama.”

Claire had never felt as helpless and confused as she did at this moment, not even during those three weeks she had spent in the dark room in Norway with an entity far worse than she could have ever imagined. In the depths of her mind Claire knew her life held a great secret and she knew she wanted to learn more the moment the little parchment had fallen into her hands.

_ Kidnapped by the fairies. Two years ago. _ __ __

Everything came crashing down at once, and Claire sat herself on the creaking floor next to her closet, tears just spilling from her eyes when she felt a sudden cloud of ice hover above her hand.

“Mama. Stones.”

And those words, gave Claire a vision that filled in the gaps all at once.

_ Buzzing. Whoosh. Silence. _ __

_ Claire woke up, dressed in her white summer dress, looking around, only to be pulled from her thoughts by gunshots, then seeing the man who resembled Frank yet wasn’t him, being saved by a tiny man out of the woods, brought into a little cottage where she saw Jamie. _ __ __

“A portal. The stones are a portal.”

It was at that moment the door of their bedroom opened and Claire saw Frank enter.

“Whatever are you doing on the floor, Claire? Those boxes won’t pack themselves.”

He offered her a hand which she took, still in the aftermath of her trance-like vision. The room was silent, the buzzing still fading in her ears and showing her that the flashes of images had actually been drawn from her mind. She looked at Frank’s cold eyes and knew he might have heard the last words, which she had spoken out loud and the thought of that sent goosebumps all over her body.

“I’m sorry, Frank. I must have drifted off. I will get back to it right away.”

“Alright. I just had my last client here, as the next days will be rather hectic. I will retire to my office where I have some more things to settle. I hope I can leave you to your packing?”

Claire nodded simply and waited for Frank’s departure. A relieved breath escaped her body as she had been afraid he might have heard her. _Did he?_

Claire knew she had to get to those stones and with this vision she regained her desire. How on earth could she had just simply given up? How on earth did she become like this?

_ I was never the obedient type. _ __

It was then that Claire decided to sneak out in the darkness of night to return to the hill of Craigh Na Dun, where she had been found just over two years ago. She was ready to find out the truths Jamie and Faith had been talking about and she was ready to touch the tallest stone in the circle to find out what really happened to her.

Those hours could not pass quickly enough and when the clock struck two in the morning, with Frank sound asleep, she rose from their bed and tiptoed out of their room in order to get dressed quietly in the bathroom.

Her body was filled with the anxious feeling once again and her mind kept imagining scenarios where Frank would wake up and what she would tell him. _There was no explanation other than the truth._ And that was not what she wanted to share with him.

With Frank still asleep, Claire got the car keys, her shoes and her coat and walked quicker than usual to her car. Once sitting in the driver’s seat she started the motor and it was then she saw the light on Frank’s nightstand turn on but she couldn’t do anything other than pressing her foot down onto the gas pedal as quickly and as hard as possible.

Her heart was racing at the thought of her husband realizing she was gone, and given he found her last time she knew he would trace her back to the stones immediately.

Claire couldn’t help but check the rear view mirror at every chance she got in order to see if Frank located her already, but behind her was nothing beyond the darkness of the night.

Arriving at the exact same spot as before, Claire didn’t hesitate this time and ran to the top of the hill, still not seeing Frank anywhere nearby.

She ran as fast as she could, out of breath, soaking wet from the rain that was pouring down and then arrived at the hill of Craigh Na Dun, where sudden buzzing surrounded her again.

When lighting hit, she saw those two silhouettes standing there just like last time, as if they hadn’t left since she last laid her eyes upon them. Claire walked towards them, feeling her trance once more hitting her body and she reached up her arms to touch the wet granite, with the events repeating themselves just like last time and once again as she was about to touch it, she heard her name.

“Claire!”

Hearing her name so close yet so far away, shook her out of her trance. She turned around only to see Frank appear as her right, still dressed in his sleeping garments, soaking wet and eyes wide open in panic. To Claire’s advantage, she was now facing her husband and not the stone, which meant one step to her left and she could touch the wet granite in an instant.

“Claire! Do not touch it! You don’t want to do that!”

_ He knew. He fucking knew. _ __

“You knew all along? That article, you hid it from me?”

Their voices were raised as the loud rain made it harder for them to hear and understand each other.

“Claire, I did it to protect you. We belong together. Now step back and we will head home. Soon we will start over in London. It will be alright! I promise I won’t be mad.”

Claire turned for one second to face the stone and then back to face her husband whose face was half panicked and half filled with the hope of her coming to her senses and going back with him once again.

“You ripped me from my past, Frank! What was the reason? Why?!”

“Because I bloody well knew about those stones! I knew what happened! I knew you would want to go back and find out! But I wanted you the first moment I saw this picture of you. Your beauty, Claire. I knew you were going to be my wife before we even met. We are destined to be together. Don’t you see that?”

_ He knew. He knew. He knew. _ __ __

And without any more hesitation, Claire touched the stone next to her, hearing her husband scream while her world started to spin and when she woke up next to the stone, she was alone. Once Claire sat up, she was hit with a wave of memories that made her let out a loud gasp. The last two years were flashing through her mind like some sort of play that had been seared into her mind and her tears rolled down her face as she thought about Faith and Jamie and all the people she learned to love.

_ My little angel. You saved me. You brought me back. _ __

It all made sense now. Jamie trying to get her back to where he needed her to be, but where would he be now? Did he survive Culloden? A sudden wave of panic hit her, and she stood up knowing exactly where to go.

But unfortunately her plan didn’t work out the way she wanted it to, as she wasn’t the only one able to travel through the granite. And so, the next second she found herself looking into the cold gaze of the husband she thought she’d left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS!!!!!!! Claire remembers!!! AND SHE'S BACK! But so is Frank...  
> Will she find Jamie? What will happen?  
> Also... Sad Chapter ahead... :( I know this one was already sad but... YEAH!  
> Thank you to my BETA Kris and to all of you lovely readers!


	13. With a little Faith you move on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Go a leannan. Yer Ma is back. It is time for ye to rest.”

The rain had softened when the two people travelled through the stone. Two spirits had watched the whole scenario  play out, their eyes  lingering on the granite where the man they  both  tried to remove from Claire’s life had followed her.

“Da, this  isna how we wanted things  tae go.”

“Listen a  leannan .  Yer Ma is a strong-minded woman. She will ken what to do, aye? The most important thing is that she is back at the time she belongs. Ye did what ye could and without ye she  wouldna have gone through the stones.”

“But the evil man, Da. Will Mama find her way back to ye?”

Jamie couldn’t do else but smile at his daughter calling Frank _evil man_ but he knew this was his journey and as much as he would have loved to spend eternity with his daughter, it was time for the  two of them to move on. Claire had been the reason Jamie couldn’t ever pass on as their love had drawn him to her.

But now she was back in his time, where he was breathing and still walking the earth, unlike their daughter. She should have moved on a long time ago, but he recalled the words of his daughter every second of the day.

_ ”Mama needs us both, Da. One day she will, and one day we will find a way to help her to remember. But ye canna do it alone, I feel it _ _.” _ __

Jamie knew he was dead  at the moment the world around him had seemed different. He felt  as if all he was, was an invisible breath of air, also feeling like a lost soul stuck in the universe. The day he found Faith, he couldn’t explain how she had appeared to him all grown, as she had passed on as a baby in Claire’s arms, but time must work differently in the afterlife and maybe, just maybe, souls can grow if they aren’t moving on.

Dwelling in memories he looked down to his daughter, the  both of them surrounded by the howling wind on the top of the hills, invisible to the human eye. It was then Faith stood up, looking at him as her apparition faded slowly.

“Go on, a  leannan .  ‘Tis alright.  Yer Ma is back. It is time for ye to rest.”

His voice was shaking  but with a small smile she walked towards the tallest stone which now brightened up into a flash of light. Before she reached the end, Faith turned around.

“Take care of Mama. The time I  couldna spend with ye will always ache me. But I ken that I would have lived the happiest life with  the both of ye and the thought of that gives me more than I could have ever wished for.”

And with those words, Faith turned around, walking into the brightness that lingered now in front of Jamie. _It was time for him_ _ too. _ __

With this heart aching and the last words of his daughter fresh in his ears, he walked into the light as well, as this time and year did not give him to  remain there anymore. This was the time Claire Randall left once again and the year that the ghost of Jamie Fraser no longer  need haunt this earth as he had moved on, due to his  task fulfilled.

-

Claire stared at Frank after he joined her on her journey through the stones. Every single memory came back and the more she looked at the man in front of her, the more disgust filled her body. He stole everything from her. He didn’t help her to regain her memory, he knew damn well that she had travelled through those stones as he himself could do it.

“You bastard.”

She couldn’t contain her anger any longer, as she couldn’t understand how cruel a human being  had to be to rob someone of something like that. Claire had lived two years thinking she never had a family. She thought no one had ever  shown her the feeling of true love.

But actually she had lived through a love so strong that even centuries later the ghost of the man she adored had haunted her to  save her from the man that she called husband.

“Claire. I couldn’t tell you. I needed you for myself! I love you!”

_ Love.  _ _ This _ _ man only loves  _ _ himself. _ __

She knew he couldn’t know about Jamie and Faith, but he knew that she led a life and that was the point that brought up all the anger she had tried to contain during  their years together.

“Love? You asked  me to follow your orders, Frank, you sent me to an asylum for three fucking weeks knowing bloody well what I had to go through in there! The moment you saw that I was closer to the truth you treated me like I was insane, but it was you all along. You are the insane one, not me.”

Frank took a few steps closer to her which made her do the opposite.

“Go away.”

“I won’t leave you Claire. Ever. No matter where you are going, I will follow, as your husband.”

Without thinking, Claire spoke, which she probably shouldn’t have done.

“In this time, I’m married to another man.”

She saw his eyes bulge open in shock from those words and it was at that moment she realized that she shouldn’t have told him.

“What?”

All Claire wanted to do was run. Run away. To where she knew, but without a horse _impossible_ and with Frank following, she couldn’t. Thinking fast she looked around to find an object that might help her.

“Nothing. Frank, calm down.”

She saw Frank’s eyes, cold as ice, and his steps towards her got bigger which didn’t allow her any choice but to flee. Claire decided to run at least in the direction she was headed to even though by foot she would have had to run herself to death to reach _Lallybroch._

Running as fast as she could with branches brushing her soft skin and wood cracking beneath her shoes, she stole glances over her shoulder to see how far away Frank was.

Frank never had been an athletic guy which gave her the advantage of not being outrun by him.

Claire chose to run through the forest, as trees were a good option in which to hide and to lose someone in. This forest had been a godsent maze.

_ Run, Claire. Run. _ __

Jamie’s note had been in her mind and all she did was run, until her lungs couldn’t sustain the effort any longer. She hadn’t heard or seen Frank behind her so she decided to catch her breath when she found some shelter which appeared to be a tiny cave.

Covering the entrance which wet leaves, Claire tried to catch her breath and to keep as quiet as she could, when just minutes later she heard Frank’s voice.

“Come out, Claire. You can’t hide forever.”

Claire pressed her body onto the cold stone wall behind her, as if she could disappear into it. Frank’s voice almost singsonging his words left shudders going through her. Only now did Claire realize how cold she was and her teeth rattled as her wet clothing bonded itself to her freezing skin.

“Claire! Come here, right now! This isn’t funny!”

She noticed the volume of his voice decreasing and knew he was walking off in the wrong direction.

_ Should I run, or stay? Stay. No Run. Stay. _ __ __

_ Silence. _ __ __

_ Stay. _ __

It had gotten bright outside, as Claire must have fallen asleep. Realizing where she was, she kept her body on guard for the next few seconds.

_ Silence. _ __ __

A breath of relief escaped her chest as she couldn’t hear Frank’s voice anywhere nearby.

She knew she needed to find transport to Lallybroch, somehow. At least she knew where to go, as once she had riddent that way with Jamie before. _Jamie. God how I miss you._

Now it hit her again. _Did he survive Culloden. He might be dead._

The thought of him not being alive any longer ripped her heart into a million pieces and she couldn’t stop herself from shedding a few tears.

All of a sudden icy air filled the cave she was sitting in, and a feeling of panic filled her whole body. 

_ Jamie. _

If he was haunting her here, that means he is _dead._

“Jamie?”

She whispered still in fear Frank might linger outside in the woods at a close distance. She covered her mouth with her hand to contain the sobs that built themselves up in the depths of her chest. But once she heard the air so resonant in her brain, saying one word which was enough for her to know it wasn’t him.

“Mama.”

_ Faith. _ __ __

Claire burst into tears, grieving once again for the loss of the girl she loved so much. Her daughter saved her. She’d brought her back to this time and she would forever be grateful for it. She longed for the touch of the icy hands on her cheek, wishing she could feel once more her child’s skin on hers.

She knew it wasn’t possible.

“Mama loves you. Forever, and she is going to find your father.”

And in another second the cave wasn’t as cold as before and Claire knew it was time.

It was time to find Jamie and her journey would start by going to Lallybroch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we have only three more chapters left of this fic!  
> I am so thankful for you all still reading it and for every single comment!  
> And a special thank you to my BETA Kris! You are wonderful!


	14. Through the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I hear you, Claire. Come here.”

Claire was determined to get to Lallybroch. All she wanted to learn was whether or not Jamie was still alive. The Ghost of her daughter gave her hope that somewhere her husband was waiting for her. _She could feel it._

To make sure Frank was completely out of sight, Claire waited until darkness filled the cave she sat in, as she knew she was less likely to be seen at night.

The day passed slowly, and Claire was quite frozen as she had nothing besides her wet clothes to wear. And it was then she thought of the first night she met Jamie, when he covered her with his tartan to make sure she wasn’t freezing to death. It wasn’t the tartan that warmed her back then; as the body heat of the man behind her did the job by itself.

The forest darkened and Claire took this as a cue to leave her hiding space. She hadn’t heard a single soul walk past where she was since Frank walked off in another direction. Getting out, she turned her head from right to left ensuring she wouldn’t be surprised by anyone who could interfere in her plans.

_ Lallybroch. _ Flashes of the place Claire felt to be home, crossed her mind and she couldn’t help but wonder how Jenny, Ian and the children were. Her being there when little Maggie was born had always held a special place in her heart and Young Jamie must have grown into a handsome young lad.

The n it hit her.

_ What do I tell Jenny? _

Claire decided she would still have some time to figure out an explanation. What was important now was that she get there as fast as she could.

She started to walk in what she knew was the direction to the Fraser lands.

Leaves brushing her skin and branches cracking underneath her feet made Claire turn around in shock, thinking Frank might have been waiting for her, but every time she gazed around, she saw nothing but darkness.

It was a cold night, as most of them are in Scotland, and Claire was shaking, her body craving warmth and nourishment. She knew she needed to find transportation as soon as possible, but she also remembered that she couldn’t trust the first person she saw.

It was hard for Claire to keep herself going, as her legs ached from the stinging pain of the cold and she knew she couldn’t keep up much longer and needed to find shelter where she could make a fire without the chance of attracting any attention. She must have walked for hours through the woods until she realized where she was.

A walk to Lallybroch took around thirty-four hours and without any true consciousness of time, Claire had run and walked what may have been six of them. She knew without her body warming up, she would never make it in that amount of time. Luckily Scotland had plentiful rainwater which provided for Claire’s thirst. She could ignore the hunger, as she had done that with Jamie quite a bit in the past.

A bit later, Claire found shelter. Outside it was still pitch black and dawn was not in sight. She decided to dry her clothes by the fire, and warm herself up as well as she could. Claire was thankful for Jamie’s having taught her how to make a fire with nothing but the gifts of nature. _Oh Jamie, where are you?_

Time passed and Claire was satisfied with semi dry clothing and skin that no longer felt numb from the cold. She decided to get dressed and closed her eyes when the soft warm fabric touched her skin. She left the fire burning low to mislead possible strangers, or Frank, crossing this way. Something inside of her told her to not quite be too hopeful about Frank disappearing, not when that man had a talent for unexpected appearances.

Claire walked through the woods. She still had more than a day’s walk to go. _One day until home._ She had been without it for two years, what is one day? Nothing.

She planned on walking until dawn broke, then again finding shelter to drink, warm up and get back on her path. Her plan on finding transport which was trustworthy in the depths of the woods wasn’t going to work and she made peace with that since she had two healthy legs that could lead the way.

While she walked, she had time to reflect on the life she had led. Her passion for healthcare was explained as she had indeed been a nurse before in the Second World War. She indeed had no family left any longer, except the one she learned to love through her journey through the stones.

Claire was pulled from her thoughts when she heard branches cracking close behind her. Her breath caught as she knew she was no longer alone. Claire stopped in her tracks in order to take in her surroundings. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself and in the darkness it wasn’t so very hard to hide. Without any movement the person who followed her wouldn’t notice that she stood there, only if they had already seen her.

For all Claire knew, it could have been an animal and she hoped that this was the case, as terror filled her body and her mind provided all sorts of images of what would happen if it was a redcoat or Frank.

Branches stopped cracking the moment she froze. Wind was howling and the branches were moving, looking like they danced to the sound of the air floating around them. Claire moved carefully in order to not make too many sounds and for once was grateful for the wind howling as loud as it did.

The moment she put her feet into motion, branches behind her were cracking again and Claire chose to _run._

_ Run, Claire. Run. _

Footsteps behind her increased in volume and her legs took her as fast as they could, her eyes focusing on finding shelter or a place to hide from the person following her. She ran, losing all feeling of time once again and then suddenly she saw a darker spot in the darkness, indicating an entrance. Claire ran towards it, relieved to find out that she was right.

She pressed her body against the cold stone, trying to catch her breath from running. Her hand covered her lips in order to not breathe too loudly and then she heard the oh-so-familiar voice, gasping for breath but still calling her name.

“Claire, I hear you. Come here. We can get this over with.”

_ Frank. _

__

_ Get over with what?! _

Claire stayed silent, still trying to breathe as calmly as possible, a few tears falling from her eyes out of fear. _Oh God._

Would Frank kill her? Would he dare to hurt her in that way? He was obsessed with her, she knew by now, but what if his mind is so twisted that he wanted to be the only one who could possess her, and if that wouldn’t happen, no one else was allowed to have her? Was that the way he was thinking? If so, she knew he would indeed kill her.

“Claire! This game isn’t funny anymore. You come out this instant!”

Claire tried to prevent herself from sobbing. She longed for Jamie so much and was terrified for her life. Now was a moment she could use the protection of his body once again.

Frank’s voice became clearer and louder, and panic filled her whole body. She looked around hoping to find something that could save her, without success.

The moment Claire heard him coming closer, she decided to make a run for it as she had no other choice, knowing he would eventually find her. She ran as fast as she could, hearing her name shouted all over again. The voice faded behind her while the blood was rushing through her brain, echoing in her ears. She didn’t know how close he was but didn’t want to lose any time by glancing over her shoulder to check.

Her feet carried her as long as they could, and she knew she must have ran hours more as dawn was just about to break.

Claire fell into the cold mud, vomiting from exhaustion, her body unable to endure more running as it craved rest. Frank must have given up long before her as he wasn’t anywhere nearby. Claire made her way off the road, crawling into a space to hide between branches and trees just out of precaution, and she fell asleep.

Claire woke up, the ground beneath her moving. Confused, she realized she was no longer between branches and trees, but instead laying in a wagon which was led by horses, as the clank of hooves filled her ears. Her gasp of panic must have given her away and the wagon stopped for a moment, forcing her to look at the person who took her. The face she looked at wasn’t such an unfamiliar one as she expected.

“Ian…”

She was speechless. What are the odds of Ian finding her?

A feeling of joy flowed through her body and tears were burning in her eyes of seeing a familiar face that had embedded itself in her heart.

“Claire, lass, are ye alright? What were ye doing in the forest, all by yerself?”

She looked around her, trying to see if Frank had followed, but she was more focused on seeing Ian. She knew she’d make it to Lallybroch, but there was no doubt that she’d have to explain herself sooner than she had thought.

“I was escaping an Englishman. Two years ago, after the battle started, I thought Jamie was dead and I had to flee, being the wife of a traitor. But I wanted to come back to check on you, to see how you and Jenny are doing, but I was found by this man and he followed me.”

Ian looked sceptical but chose to blame the shocked state in which he had found her.

“What are ye wearing lass? ‘Tis a bit cold for clothes like that. Jenny will fetch ye something to wear.”

She looked down, realizing she was still wearing her 1940s clothes, now covered with mud and dirt but chose to remain silent as she was too exhausted to try and think of an explanation. But she knew Jenny wouldn’t just believe her.

“Jamie? Is he alive?”

She couldn’t wait any longer as she needed to know if she would ever look into the steady blue gaze of her husband once again.

“Aye. He’s in Ardsmuir prison.”

_ He was alive. _

“Prison. They caught him.”

Ian nodded.

“Aye. We dinna ken more.”

Claire knew how important Jamie was to Ian, and that his heart must not know when he was going to see him again. Claire’s heart slowly shattered into a million pieces, longing desperately to see her husband.

The ride seemed shorter than it actually was, Ian enlightening her with the newest member of the family, Katherine, and speaking of Young Jamie, Maggie, Jenny, and Fergus with a sparkle in his eye which all warmed her heart.

_ Fergus. He had been with Ian and Jenny all along. _

Once arriving at Lallybroch Claire was greeted with mixed feelings, and Jenny, being the suspicious person she was, didn’t quite believe the tale her sister-in-law was telling her. But the sight of the exhaustion in the gleaming whisky eyes made her stop with the little interrogation she started a few minutes ago.

Belly filled and now back in the room where she first admitted her love to Jamie, she looked around, dwelling in memories with him. _I need you to come back to me James Fraser._

And with tears rolling down her face she looked outside the window, as if he would turn up, looking right at her, longing for her touch the way she did his. But instead of seeing Jamie, she looked into darker eyes and realized Frank had made it with her to Lallybroch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FRANK AT LALLYBROCH?! Oh no....
> 
> I'm so sad that there are only two chapters left!!! This fic has grown on me :D  
> But also I have others planned & that doesn't mean I stop writing spooky stories! I actually thought of a sequel to this but I need to think it through more.
> 
> A huge thank you to my BETA Kris and to all of you lovely readers!!


	15. Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Shock. I was in shock, and all I needed was to be in the arms of the ghost that haunted me.” 
> 
> Trigger Warning: This chapter contains a Mayor Character Death.

Darkness surrounded Claire the moment she laid eyes upon the figure of Frank sneaking around the place she called home. He intruded her space and the space of her actual husband’s property. This was her war to fight and she did not want anyone else suffer under Frank’s temper.

Claire walked downstairs to find Jenny and Ian sitting by the fire, drinking some whisky while enjoying each other’s presence and felt sorry to interrupt such an intimate moment between the two of them as she knew that they probably didn’t get much time to enjoy such things.

“Jenny, Ian? I am so sorry to interrupt.”

Claire didn’t know why she was nervous, but the fact that she had just appeared at Lallybroch with a story that didn’t make much sense to them and was now intruding on their private space, was reason enough.

Two pairs of eyes glanced up at her in question but that changed to worry the moment they saw Claire’s expression.

“I don’t have much time to explain, but I want you to go upstairs to your children. The Englishman I told you about, the one who followed me? Well, he found me, and I saw him outside.”

Ian sprang immediately into action but was halted by a glimpse of Claire’s whisky eyes which urged him to do as she requested.

“This is my war to fight. I can’t have you risk your little family like that for me.”

“Lass, ye are family and ye always have been!”

Claire melted at those words from Ian, but she didn’t have much time to dwell on her thoughts and knew she had to react fast, before Frank could do anything which she would blame herself for later.

“And I am more than grateful for that but let me handle this.”

Ian knew, he didn’t have much of a chance with Claire’s mind set being on guard and he handed her the weapon he just took from a dresser next to the fireplace, which was of course out of reach for the children, except for Fergus. He could almost reach it, as he was growing faster than expected. 

_ He had become such a big boy. _

_ Focus, Claire. Focus. _ __

Claire took the weapon and exhaled a deep breath. _Let’s do it._

She heard Ian and Jenny walking hesitantly to the stairs and she knew Jenny whispered something to her husband. Soon after she felt Ian’s presence near her ~~s~~.

“I willna leave ye, Claire.”

A quick smile flashed on her face when she turned around to open the door, watching to see that Ian stayed behind her.

“Hand me the weapon, I can get a better grip than ye.”

Claire shook her head.

“No, this is my war to fight, Ian. I want to make an end of it. You’re welcome to be here, but I would be happiest if you try not to get hurt.”

She was worried and wished he wouldn’t stay there but also knew that she couldn’t keep him away.

“Frank? I know you are here.”

Before she could say more, he walked towards her, slowly as he saw the weapon in her hands. She could see him laughing at the thought that she would know how a weapon like this worked.

“Claire, put that down. You don’t even know how this works. Also, you are _my_ wife.”

She saw his gaze now turning towards Ian and the anger boiling up in him as he thought the man behind her was the husband she’d talked about.

“You leave my wife be.”

Claire felt Frank’s body tighten and saw how he took big steps to cross the yard to attack Ian and before she could act Frank was on top of Ian, beating him until blood spurted around her.

“Frank! Stop! He is not my husband!”

Frank looked up into her eyes; she had seen that gaze before. _Black Jack Randall._ And she knew this man could no longer be saved.

In a spit second, Claire lifted up the weapon and the echo of the shot reverberated through Broch Tuarach. Frank’s body now fell lifeless onto Ian still grunting from the beating he just had received.

Claire’s body was shaking and she heard was Jenny screaming her husband’s name, then a young voice she knew so well.

“Milady, it is alright.”

_ Her boy. Fergus. He’s here. _

The gun fell to the ground and Claire only stared upon the lifeless body of the man she had once thought she loved. The man who tore from her the most precious thing she held close. _Her family. Her husband. Her life._ __

__ __

She could have gone back earlier, could have tried to find if Jamie survived Culloden, then she remembered why she had gone back in the first place. Jamie forced her, he wanted her to be safe and she had no other choice than to do so. How could he have known that she would forget him?! He couldn’t.

Claire didn’t realize that she was carried inside, still in shock from the events that just occurred.

_ I shot Frank. I shot a human being. He is dead because of me. I am a murderer. _ __

She shook her head, crying hysterically with those words repeating in her mind, burying themselves in her soul, eating her up from the inside.

_ Shock. I was in shock, and all I needed was to be in the arms of the ghost that haunted me. _ __

__ __

_ No. No. No. No. _ __

She didn’t know if those words escaped her mouth or if she was only thinking them to herself. She couldn’t care less, all she wanted was her body to stop shaking.

“Milady. Please.”

Fergus clearly was upset, seeing the woman that cared for him with every inch of her heart in that state of mind. He’d seen her worse, after Faith died, but this was different. Even if not as tragic she was still in a bad place and he wanted her to be as happy as she could be.

“Claire, ye have to be strong now. Listen to me. Ye have done the right thing, Ian is well, ye are well. That man would have done far worse if ye wouldna have done anything.”

Claire’s head turned to the side to look into Jenny’s eyes. She didn’t realize that her fingers were now intertwined with those of the woman talking to her. She barely heard what was being said, but Claire was comforted by her presence.

Taking deep breaths, she closed her eyes and the first face that came to mind was Jamie’s. She saw him in front of her. His blue-eyes gaze moving itself into her soul, healing every dark part that the blackness had crawled its way into. She needed him. She needed him to hold her, whispering Gaelic words into her ear, be there with her. She felt like without him holding her, she would drown in the thought of his blue eyes, having no arms around her that could help her to swim.

She didn’t know what or who it was that calmed her eventually, but the presence of the people she loved played a huge role in it. Claire looked into the worried gazes of Ian, Jenny and Fergus, wiping away the remainder of the salty tears that still lingered on her cheeks.

“Thank you.”

It was all she could think of to say and she was embraced once again by the family she thought she’d lost.

Seeking the comfort of love, she felt an icy chill around her, knowing that the little girl had followed her too and in her mind she also thanked her daughter.

_ Thank you my darling. Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for helping your father to get me back here. I love you. _

She shed a few more tears and grieved once again over Faith, as the grief from the loss of a child would never end.

-

Claire woke up, surrounded by the darkness of her bedroom. _I must have fallen asleep._

She had tended to Ian’s wounds which luckily were not serious and only needed cleaning, then Claire ate with everyone before heading to bed. She remembered only bits and pieces and tried to recollect the events clearly, lying in the bed she once shared with Jamie.

She closed her eyes, trying to get sleep as exhaustion lingered, but something kept her awake.

_ Frank’s body. They forgot his body. _

Once again filled with panic, she looked outside the window to the spot that was covered with blood before she had been carried inside. _No one there._

Her breath calmed once again and she knew that she would not talk about Frank any longer, knew she would never need to.

The next day, Claire woke up feeling much calmer. Everyone was already up for work which indicated that she slept longer than the rest of the family. As she walked downstairs, she decided that she needed distraction before her mind would get the best of her. She had a lot to process, much more than any human being could handle but she knew she needed to take it one step at a time.

She needed to work her way from black to white. Dark to bright. Bad to good. But it will take time.

After trying to eat some breakfast, Claire decided to help Jenny with the wash which needed to be done. _Fresh air._

The two women had worked their way through much of the mountain of dirty clothes when the echoes of hooves reached their ears and panic was clearly written ~~i~~ on their faces. 

_ Redcoats. _

“Jenny?”

_ No, it can’t be. _

“Jenny, are ye here?”

__

_ Get out of my head! _ __

Tears burned in Claire’s eyes, but seeing the same thing happening to Jenny made her realize that she wasn’t imagining it. _It was real. He was real._

“Jamie!”

She dropped everything she held and ran to the archway of the courtyard, the place where she once waited for him to come home. Now he did.

More tears made their way onto her cheeks as she saw him riding closer and closer.

“Jenn-“

And then she saw it hit him.

“Sassenach!”

And the next second she saw him dismount the horse and run towards her as fast as he could. Before she knew it, she was in the arms of the man she loved most. 

_ This time he was no longer a ghost. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you all waited for this ;)  
> A huge thank you to my BETA Kris and to all you lovely readers!


	16. ‘Till Death us do part…or not?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Till Death us do part

The y sat there for hours, taking in each other’s presence, breathing the same air that surrounded them. Claire listening to Jamie relate that he was released early as he had made a friend, Lord John Grey. _Bless him._ And Jamie listening to Claire as she told him every single thing she had encountered.

She told him about the hauntings, about Frank and about Faith, and the both of them couldn’t help but cry in each other’s arms for a moment, talking about their little angel that left earth way too soon. Claire couldn’t believe it ~~,~~ when Jamie in turn told her about dreams he experienced during his time in prison.

“I canna explain it, Sassenach. But I saw ye, I saw him, and I saw her. Our wee Faith. It wasna as clear a ye have told me but it was there.”

Claire held his hands in hers, feeling as if without them she would be ripped back through the stones to a place she never wanted to return to. It was as if a single second without his touch would tell her that this all had been a dream. _But it wasn’t._

“I’m sorry, Sassenach, truly. For forcing ye to go back through the stones. I canna help but blame myself for ye going through all of that. I dinna ken… I only wanted ye to be safe and I wanted ye to have yer best chance at life.”

It was as if he could read her mind as her thoughts were circling around the exact same topic. But he was right. What would have happened to her? She would have been fleeing, seeking shelter, endangering Lallybroch with her presence. She would have ended up alone either way.

“It’s alright Jamie. I know you would never do something without having a reason for it. Neither of us knew what would happen when I went through those stones again. But now we don’t have to think about it any longer.”

She looked up into his ocean-blue gaze and saw him spill a few tears which she wiped away with her fingers. Their love was stronger than anything else she had ever felt. The amount of connection and power it held was nothing she could ever explain. Centuries apart and yet still together was something Claire would have only believed could be found. ~~~~

But their love had also been presented many obstacles to overcome, and still does, but whose love doesn’t? She needs Jamie like she needs air to breathe and one day they might be blessed with a little family of their own while Faith lived on in their hearts.

When their lips pressed together once again and they both shed silent tears, an icy draft filled the room, making them both move slowly backwards in order to see what had caused the sudden temperature drop.

_ Nothing. _

__

The icy air surrounded them, growing in intensity until their hands turned icy cold and their bodies were covered in goosebumps.

Claire felt a ~~c~~ lump building in her throat, and she didn’t know why but she started to cry. A sudden wave of tears were flooding over her cheeks and she felt Jamie’s arms around her, holding her shaking body. It was as if all the emotions felt during the past months were ready to burst out, it was as if it was alright now as she had Jamie with her, knowing he would catch her whenever she needed him to.

“Mama. Da.”

The two simple words filled the room and echoed from the stone walls. Claire looked up into Jamie’s teary eyes as the both of them knew who had joined them. _One family._

“Faith.”

They said her name almost simultaneously, now unstoppable as her presence was as close as possible to both of them. And then they saw her.

Red hair, curls falling onto her shoulders. The most beautiful smile on her face as her goal had been reached. Freckled cheeks now in the form of two tiny apples, caused by her upward curled lips and her slanted blue eyes which looked at the both of them, satisfied. It was the way she wanted them to remember her.

“I love ye, a leannan.”

Claire swallowed more tears, hearing Jamie talking to their daughter with a lump in his throat too. Hearing that his heart still ached as much as hers at the loss of their daughter, somehow touched her even more.

“I love you, Darling.”

“I love ye too.”

And the next second the warmth of the fire that had been lit, filled the room once more and neither of them could help but weep in each other’s arms for the next few hours until day turned into night.

-

They were laying in each other’s arms on the bed, thinking about the event which had occurred.

“What a strong, beautiful bairn we have made, Sassenach.”

She looked up into Jamie’s eyes, shimmering from the aftermath of his tears but also filled with love and desire for the woman in front of him.

“Yes, we did.”

She felt Jamie’s hand brushing the soft curls to secure them behind her ears and kissing her gently on her lips and she knew she wanted the world to stop right at that moment as nothing mattered more than her and Jamie and the memory of their lost daughter.

-

Claire woke up in the middle of the night, feeling far less alone than the night before as the presence of her husband filled the room. With one finger she traced the line of his cheekbone which caused the tiniest smile to linger on his face. Even after all this terror, he still did that.

She picked up the plaid laying on the floor to cover her naked skin which was still glowing from last night. Their bodies pressed onto each other, wanting each other so much that it even made breathing difficult. Claire swallowed thickly thinking about last night, only the thought of Jamie touching her made her feel a way she couldn’t explain.

The icy air caused by the wind must have woken Jamie, as she suddenly felt the heat of her red-haired Scot on her back.

“Canna sleep, mo nighean donn?”

She smiled at him calling her that and turned around in his arms.

“I’m too happy to sleep.”

She placed kisses on the hairy chest in front of her and felt his hand entwined in the mess which has been her curls.

“Weel, I have a better idea how to make ye sleep, Sassenach.”

Smile turned into grin, and she kissed him once again, asking him for more which he gave her unhesitatingly and they didn’t stop until they were both lying in bed, nothing between them, moving skin on skin until the two of them reached their climaxes at the same time.

“I love you, Jamie.”

“And I you, Sassenach.”

-

Weeks passed and Faith did not visit them anymore, but that was alright with both of them as they wanted her to rest in peace. They knew she would continue to live in their hearts forever.

The whole Fraser family now was sitting at the table, eating dinner together, and each of them cherished moments like these ever since Jamie had come back, and Claire couldn’t have been happier. From the horrors of ghosts and the man she called husband, to sitting together with family and her true husband, feeling more joyful than ever.

She smiled at the stories Jamie told everyone while lifting a spoon of hot broth to her mouth, but with a sudden movement she had put the spoon down.

“Excuse me.”

Walking as fast as she could outside to vomit on ~~to~~ the ground ~~s~~ , Claire didn’t know what caused the sudden wave of nausea to hit her the way it did. The last time she had something like this was with Faith.

She looked up, feeling Jamie next to her a second later.

“Sassenach, are ye alright?”

Claire only nodded, looking up at him and he knew. A simple look into the whisky-colored gaze of the woman he loved so deeply was enough to tell him what had crossed her mind. His hand touched her stomach and a few tears rolled down his face.

“Jamie, don’t get too excited, it may not be.”

“Ye have been late in yer courses, Sassenach. And ye have that look on yer face like when we were in France. I just feel it.”

_ He was right. She felt it too. _

And with a smile on her face, she kissed him. She had never seen a man light up at the thought of being a father, the way Jamie did. And she would never take it for granted.

Claire knew she was where she was supposed to be, she loved Jamie more than her life itself and she would always do so. Right now, all she wanted was to build their family, live happily at Lallybroch, without thoughts of hauntings or ghosts, even though one day they all would become one.

But the man in front of her was there, in flesh and blood and so was she and she knew ‘til death do them part, she would do anything in her power to keep him and make him as happy as she could.

_ Epilogue _

__

_ 2019 _

_ ”Mom! Please take a picture of me on those stairs, maybe we will capture the ghosts!” _

__

_ It was the sound of a girl outside. Lallybroch looked a bit different but still was their home. Claire looked outside the window onto the families that came onto their property with supplies even she had never seen. She felt a brush of air behind her and she smiled at the presence of her husband. He wrapped his arms around her, watching the people with her. _

__

_ ”Sassenach, not even death parts us.” _

__

_ She smiled, turning around to look up at him. _

__

_ ”How could it? And now let’s make the girl happy and appear in her picture.” _

__

_ Jamie _ _ laughed, and the moment the flash clicked, the both of them tried their best to appear on the image the girl waited for filled with all her hope. _

__

_ ”Mom! Oh my God! Look! _

__

_ Claire smiled, turning around to Jamie who now made his way back inside where their two daughters were waiting. But before leaving the window, she once again looked onto the gathering of people who only wanted a glance at the Ghosts of Claire & Jamie Fraser. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to my BETA Kris and to all you lovely readers!!!  
> This fic has always a special place in my heart and I hope you all liked it!!


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